From the showcase in the terminal, through the auditorium hall, and down to the band and orchestra rooms, you may find yourself surrounded by art that comes in so many different sounds, shapes, colors, and sizes. This is what the students in the Visual and Performing Arts classes create for us all year round.

The desire to “develop an appreciation for craft” is what propels this department according to Ceramics teacher, Mrs. Hanania. The diverse courses offered to their students give them the chance to observe a variety of art forms, and follow them through “time, place, & cultures,” because it is an “integral part of life,” as Mrs. Roman sees it when teaching Humanities, Publisher’s Workshop, Interior Design, and Storytelling through Visual Illustration.

How a teacher frames the class so that students have an unlimited amount of art to see, learn, and experience, for 80 minutes a day makes this the perfect place for students to find a stress-free environment that they might not find in their core classes.

Classes ranging from theater to music, going from researching art to manipulating it, the arts all come down to its ability to unlock a certain eye for creativity– even in people who felt they lacked a natural affinity towards it.

These teachers understand how to approach students who might struggle with the subject matter knowing art is subjective and appears through a spectrum. To gear this idea to kids means that teachers, like Ms. Buckley, who teaches Photography, Jewelry Studio and Interior Design, can “modify assignments so that students are meeting the goals and objectives but creating something they are proud of and inspired by.” How can a student feel that they do not meet a certain standard in this class, when the standard is flexible in and of itself? This is how this department specially caters to their students.

This is why oftentimes teachers use traditional hands-on practices in their classes, and avoid using AI tools. In this, students can experience creating pieces by themselves in an environment that encourages them to “disconnect” from the type of technology they see on a daily basis, explains Mrs. Hanania. Sources like ChatGPT is a shortcut through generating original work and replaces the act of creating art for students, which warrants its limited role in certain courses.

Though a few Visual and Performing Arts Department teachers see AI as helpful to create ideas, like inspiration, for their own pieces. Mr. Gates, Music production and Piano teacher, sees AI as a “reflection of everything humanity has already done”, and exploring these resources only gives students a general idea of what they can create, without taking credit for what they make on their own.