Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

Students also learn about the value of the visual arts in the larger world, as was so thoughtfully argued in “Art: The Key to Understanding Humanity” by Elizabeth Tam in the December 2014 BTI :

“Art: The Key to Understanding Humanity” BTI , December 2014

In recent years, there has been a concerted effort to celebrate artistic efforts by encouraging students, faculty and staff to contribute to Art Space, an informal “gallery” in the heart of the school. As this Torch article makes clear, works of art can be designed to provoke, and members of a school community must consider difficult questions, including the following: “Does art deemed ‘offensive’ warrant being taken down?” It raises issues that are important to consider given that at school there is concern about the developmental stages of students and about their exposure to controversial material that may be disturbing. The discussions thus engendered, however, are meaningful in and of themselves.

Art Studio at Jarvis Street, 1898.

Visual Arts

Since its founding, Havergal has come a long way in its appreciation of the fine arts: the intervening years have seen the school’s art program expand well beyond the arts like painting and sculpting that have traditionally engaged the passion of women. This “revision” of the art program has been spurred in some measure by advances in technology that offer fresh approaches to budding artists. Student enthusiasm extends beyond the classroom program into the arts and crafts clubs that thrive at Havergal. The feature article “Artistic Expression and the Havergal Experience,” which appeared in the Spring 2000 Torch , quoted Carolyn MacDonald, then head of Art in the Upper School: “visual art can often be about personal expression and self-discovery.” This is particularly relevant to teenagers, as they explore who they are. “Students may not be able to say how they feel in words,” [Ms. MacDonald] says, “but when something subconscious comes through in their art, they can recognize what it means to them and learn about themselves.”

Art Space, BTI , December 2017.

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