Arts

D-E was privileged to host artist Sylvie Harris and her exhibition, "Lineage of Labor" in Swartley Gallery earlier this year. 

Sylvie Harris is a Brooklyn-based artist whose work celebrates domesticity while also addressing the challenges of societal expectations within the patriarchy. Harris graduated in 2022 with an MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago where she was also a Curatorial Assistant at the Museum of Contemporary Photography and the recipient of the 2021 Stuart Abelson Graduate Research Fellowship in Krakow, Poland. Her recent solo exhibitions have also been featured at The Ancestry of Home at The Arcade Gallery in Chicago. Her work has also been included in numerous group exhibitions including at Old Main Gallery in Bozeman, Montana and the Hokin Gallery at Columbia College in Chicago. 

It was the last day of Winter Break which meant students, faculty, staff, parents, and friends come together to see the Jazz Rock concert! Jazz Rock is an extracurricular program that students audition for to perform live in the winter and spring. The anticipation is always high, and the show didn’t disappoint. We had outstanding performances by D-E musicians and vocalists, featuring songs like “Valerie,” “9 to 5,” and “Ain’t Nobody.” Happy Holidays to everyone!

December continued to offer wonderful opportunities to celebrate the performing arts! On Tuesday, December 13 at 7 PM,  the Upper School A Capella, Choral, and Handbell Ensembles performed in Schenck Auditorium. D-E friends and families enjoyed wonderful numbers like “Jingle Bells,” “The Skaters Waltz,” and more!

Visitors to Swartley Gallery enjoyed "New York: Then and Now," a striking photography exhibit by faculty members John McCabe and Chris Kelly. The exhibit was open from October 25, 2022 to November 21, 2022. Congratulations Mr. McCabe and Mr. Kelly, and thank you for sharing your artwork and inspiration with the D-E community! 

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.