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Julie Kimball (left end) brought her expertise as a dancer to directing the choreography for the show.
In Arts Classes
The Priory’s Fine Arts Building is a small, overstuffed cottage - actually, a construction site relic donated many years ago by the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital. A new and thriving ceramics program dominates the space, which is also used for drawing, printmaking, sculpture, design and computer-related projects. In this cramped area, Cayewah’s sophomore art class created 20 fabric panels depicting an imaginary New York skyline for the musical.
The room had to be transformed each day to paint the 10-foot-long panels. Students disassembled all the tables and chairs and sprawled out on the floor to paint the building. Charles and Richard became skilledat maneuveringthroughthechaostoreach the computer in the corner and transfer their camera images to the Gershwin web page.
It’s a beginning point for Cayewah’s vision of arts and technology blending in her classes.
A series of special gifts for technology from William and Rosemary Hewlett made it possible for the art department to purchase a computer and digital projector last year. In ceramics classes, students made presentations based on advanced methods of storing and organizing information. They took photographs with the digital camera, captured information and images from the Internet, and scanned images into the computer.
Using Powerpoint application software, they put the information in order, and some students added text and animation over their pictures. The final product was presented with the digital projector to their classmates as a way of inspiring each other’s ceramic work.
These are sophisticated presentation skills that can be used in other classes as well as in the business world, Cayewah points out.
(The ceramics projects have also been on rotating display in Founder’s Hall on the campus.)
Next year, the art department will have its own digital camera, scanner and hardware to create CDs. With these new tools, students will be able to record their work in process and their progress throughout the year. They can create a small, handy digital portfolio to send to colleges, contests or even grandparents! They can save images of their classmates’ work as well as work by artists who have influenced them.
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A series of 10-foot-tall fabric panels made a great stage setting in a hall with no traditional scenery space.