Arts and Education

Ever since he was little, my father knew he wanted to be an artist. But my grandfather wouldn't hear of sending him to art school (the fact that my father wanted to go to college was suspect enough for a man who made his living with his hands and who was vaguely suspicious of all things intellectual).

However, my father was a brain and earned a full scholarship to college, and if there was anything my grandfather did appreciate it was something free, so off my dad went with the grudging blessings of his dad.

But college wasn't art school and though dad appreciated how college prepared him for life, he always yearned to commit his life to his art. Finally, about 25 years ago, dad quit his job and began to devote his energy and full-time attention to his art. It was a revelation.

Now I'm no artist, but my dad, informed by the limitations imposed on him by his father, never shirked from allowing me to pursue my passions. He sacrificed so that I might be able to attend a small independent school where I was exposed to a curriculum that encouraged me to explore a variety of opportunities: science and music and Latin and film and lacrosse and declamation . . . and art.

The Lake Tahoe School motto - Where disciplined minds, sound character, healthy bodies, and creative spirits thrive - reflects our belief that a humane liberal arts education transcends the traditional focus on the three "R's" (reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic) to include an emphasis on individual integrity, physical education, and exposure to a variety of the arts. Each of these foci challenges students to expand their perspectives by encouraging them to explore different intelligences.

Our Arts program is a case in point. All of our students engage in not only appreciating a variety of media but also making their own art.

Though a wonderful program at the Nevada Museum of Art, all of our students are museum members. These memberships provide each student and one guest unlimited free admission to the museum during regular hours. As a result, our students have been exposed to shows featuring Alexander Calder, James Whistler, and Roy Lichtenstein; and they will be going to visit the Andy Warhol exhibit before it leaves in late May.

In the area of creating art, our kiln, purchased with funds provided by our Parent Association, has been a wonderful addition to our curriculum. Students have been experimenting with various techniques of firing their pieces, applying multiple coats of glaze, and firing again. The results have been a riot of brightly colored pottery that is now prominently displayed on tables, bookshelves, and desks throughout the homes of families and relatives.

In the visual arts, despite the omnipresence of digital photography and laser printing, we believe that there is value in teaching the process of framing, developing, and enlarging traditional photographic prints. So we built an old-school Dark Room in which our middle school students have learned how to develop and manipulate black and white photographs.

We even offer art classes during our after-school programming: for example, students can participate in a Fiber Arts Club where they can make a variety of knit and woven items of clothing using knitting needles, crochet hooks, and looms.

These are but a few examples of the variety of artistic activities available to our students. In an era where art programs are under continuous economic and political pressure, we believe that the arts are an essential component of a healthy curriculum.

And we believe that exposure to the arts stimulates our students to develop an aesthetic and critical appreciation for the world around them and that opportunities to express their creativity through the arts challenges students to explore a variety of ways to expand their horizons.

Which is the whole point of education.

--Steve McKibben
4/29/07