School Life

Arts

Swartley Art Gallery Series: Soyoung Stephanie Moon ’13

D-E's Swartley Gallery is excited to welcome alumna artist Soyoung Stephanie Moon ’13 for her "Alchemy" exhibit!

Soyoung Stephanie Moon, D-E class of 2013, is a contemporary painter who specializes in optical art, exploring the dance of kinetic movement within the framework of the grid. American born, she is based in New York with strong ties to her Korean heritage. Moon received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the School of Visual Arts and additionally studied at The Art Students League of New York. Combining her background of graphic art, trained skill of painting, and her fascination for geometry, her works reflect a unique lens—where the grid becomes a portal to a symphony of motion, bending dimensions.

Save the Date! D-E Performing Arts Department Presents...

ANTIGONE
The Upper School Fall Play
Thursday, Nov. 7 - Saturday, Nov. 9
Hajjar Auditorium (2nd Floor, Campus Center)

A Look Back: Swartley Art Gallery Series: Haley Algrant '21

D-E's Swartley Gallery welcomed alumna artist Haley Algrant '21 for their "VHS Love Story" exhibit to kick off its 2024-2025 Art Gallery Series.

Haley, a Harvard College senior, is completing a thesis in both Studio Art and Classics. In “A VHS Love Story,” Haley curated past works that fit the theme of her thesis show. Through painting disfigured characters, she focuses on how characters in pop culture have changed in response to conservative social policies under the early Roman Empire and during the conservative revolution in the United States after the Vietnam War. Specifically, this includes escapist genres, such as Roman elegy, teen television, romance novels, and reality television. The actions of characters reflect social anxieties about the confines of the political regime in place.

A Look Back: "Sixth Night"! A Senior One Act

A Look Back: All-Choral & African Drumming Concert

A Look Back: Cabaret Night 2024!

A Look Back: "The Wizard of Oz Youth Edition" Middle School Musical

A Look Back: Senior Spotlight Show 2024

A Look Back: Orchestra Extravaganza Concert 2024

A Look Back: Jazz Rock Spring Concert 2024

NEW! The D-E Performing Arts Spotlight eNewsletter

Check out the latest in D-E Performing Arts news, from our students, faculty and staff!

A Look Back: Stage Band, US Chorus & Jazz Workshop Winter Concert 2024

Bravo to our Stage Band, US Chorus and Jazz Workshop musicians for a lively and wonderful Winter Concert! The ensembles performed to a highly appreciative audience, opening with a spirited rendition of “The Flintstones”. Individual musicians showed off their improvisational skills during numbers including “Lucky Seven” and “Afternoon in Paris”, and our vocalists’ blended voices in “Lullabye” and “Funny Valentine” were truly D-Elightful. The concert finale – Benny Goodman’s jazz classic “Sing Sing Sing” – then featured a drumming battle! Cheers to all our Performing Arts Department musicians, directors, and supporting crew! 

A Look Back: Alumni Artist Ambrose Proctor '21 Shares "Three of Hearts" Exhibit

D-E's Swartley Gallery was excited to welcome alumni artist Ambrose Proctor '21 for their "Three of Hearts: On Nature, Friendship, & Art" exhibit earlier this year. 

This exhibit explored the history of playing cards and visualizes how relationships with others can change. Ambrose is currently a student at Union College and is studying Anthropology and Visual Arts as they continue to pursue their artistic creativity. Ambrose’s work has covered many mediums, from embroidery and painting to printmaking and sculpture. In their art, they explore themes of intimacy, attachment, and their relationship to nature.  Thank you Ambrose for sharing your work and perspectives with us! 

Bravo to our Middle/Upper Schools Orchestral Ensembles!

Bravo to our Middle and Upper School musicians for their exceptional Winter Orchestral Concert this past Friday. Selections from the concert included, “O Mio Babbino Caro” by the Middle School Strings Ensemble, “Farandole from L’arlesienne Suite No. 2”, and a Cello Concierto with soloist (and D-E Concerto Competition winner) Giana Kim ’24! Again, cheers to our incredible student-musicians and faculty!

A Look Back: Stage Band Jazz Brunch D-Elights Audience

We had a fantastic time at Stage Band Jazz Brunch! Hosted in Hajjar Auditorium, the curtains were set, and the lights were drawn low to fit the smooth vibe. Our jazz ensemble, led by Rob Debellis, played a fantastic set from “A Night in Tunisia” to “Woodchopper’s Ball”. The ensemble even did an impromptu rendition of “Happy Birthday” for an audience member’s child!

Bravo to our Stage Band!

CONGRATS to Cast & Crew of "She Kills Monsters"


BRAVO! D-E Performing Arts Department proudly presented the Upper School Fall Play, “She Kills Monsters” (SKM),  to appreciative audiences in early November. The play was performed in D-E's Hajjar Auditorium and featured memorable scenes and a fantastic set, compelling costumes, and dramatic, futuristic lighting and backdrops.  

Written by playwright Qui Nguyen, the play follows Agnes Evans after she’s lost her family, including her younger sister, Tilly, in a car crash. Amidst her grief, Agnes uncovers Tilly’s Dungeon and Dragons game set-up and embarks on a fantastical journey to connect with her late sister.

Congratulations to the entire "SKM" cast and crew for an unforgettable dramatic event! 
 
 

Swartley Gallery Presents: Transpessimism by Coco Klockner '10

We are thrilled to present another D-E alumni Swartley Gallery Series Exhibit with Coco Klockner '10 and their exhibit, "Transpessimism" that wrestles with the language used when we talk about the body and its relation to gender.

The exhibit will be open from October 20-November 20, 2023.

The Swartley Gallery Presents "A Study of Lascaux & Paleolithic Mark-Making," A Lower School Exhibit

We were proud to host an exhibit featuring our very own Lower School! "A Study of Lascaux and Paleolithic Mark-Making" took a cue from the ancient paintings found in the Lascaux Caves in France. These paintings are significant in their depiction of Paleolithic flora and fauna and reflect a deeply human consciousness of the environment.

Curated by LS Art Teacher Christine Maloney, K-5 students took inspiration from this historical finding. Cheers to our Lower School Artists! The exhibit was open in the Swartley Gallery from October 10 to October 13.

A Look Back..."Dabbling" Exhibit by Tara Weinstein

We were thrilled to present an art exhibit at Swartley featuring our very own physics teacher and D-E Science Department Chair, Tara Weinstein! "Dabbling" celebrated all forms of artwork created entirely by Ms. Weinstein -- including gorgeous examples of mixed media, wearable art, and pieces with whimsy. 

Welcome!


A structured involvement in the arts unleashes the kind of creativity that can invigorate one’s entire learning experience. Studying the arts can also help a student grasp mathematical and visual concepts, develop critical literacy, and see patterns across academic disciplines.

At Dwight-Englewood, the arts play an important role from Preschool through the 12th grade.

All Lower School students learn how to listen to and create music. One activity that defines the Lower School experience is the Creating Original Opera program, in which all fifth-graders participate. Additionally, our studio-art program offers children the opportunity to explore many forms of visual art. Students work from both their own imagination and direct observation. By starting out early in life making art, our students ignite a lifelong love for the arts.

At the Middle School level, drama, music, and studio art challenge students to become confident and imaginative innovators. This growth continues in the Upper School, where a program such as Jazz Rock helps aspiring singers and musicians select the right composition to show-case their talents.

In the Upper School, students can choose from courses in studio art, sculpture, ceramics, and photography/video production; theater courses that explore acting technique, writing for the stage, production, and the technical arts; and music courses in orchestra and chamber ensembles, chorus, stage band, or handbell choir.

One of the most exciting things about Dwight-Englewood’s arts program is that so many of our instructors boast significant professional experience. Many are active on Broadway, play in musical ensembles, or pursue visual-arts careers. By sharing their real-world experience with students, our teachers serve to inspire and to prepare a new guard made up both of people who make art and those who deeply appreciate it.
Mailing Address: 315 East Palisade Avenue Englewood, NJ 07631
gps: 81 Lincoln Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-9500 Email: d-e@d-e.org
Located in Englewood, New Jersey, Dwight-Englewood is a greater New York City area private school with a rigorous college prep curriculum for boys and girls in preschool through grade 12.