Art Shares: Yes, Students, the Faculty ARE that Good, and Yes, Students, They Too Must Practice Daily

Part of what makes the SFAC model so compelling is this nightly phenomenon called Art Share. What happens at Art Share changes nightly and generally has a theme which features a specific population (counselors, faculty) or a discipline (faculty from visual arts, dance, music, etc.). However, the format is generally the same. A faculty member gets up, performs/exhibits their work to the audience, and talks about the creative process. This may not sound remarkable, but what it does is give the students a chance to see their teachers present their art and talk about the trials and tribulations associated with practicing their crafts. "It's not just you," they say, "Everyone fails, and you just have to get right back up and try something else." It also teaches them something about criticism: "If someone tells you they don't like your work," one faculty member said, "tell them to get lost."

Art Shares cover topics like best practices, marketing yourself, "the making of" stories, and more, all artfully presented in an interesting way in 60-80 minutes per night. There are often Q&A sessions at the end, or opportunities to go up and talk to the presenting faculty afterward. What's more is that many of the faculty use their art shares as a way to segue into a new topic or project for class, discussing their own experiences while introducing something totally new. It takes part of the fear out of the equation and makes it more like an adventure. More of that risk taking that I spoke about a couple weeks ago.

For the students who are in only one or two disciplines at camp, Art Shares also serve as an inspiration and exploration into art forms not yet explored. A student in ceramics and writing classes learns all about what it takes to perform a mime piece, gets inspired, and either takes a mime class next year, decides to collaborate with a mime student, or both. Again, the camp is all about process over product, and everyone emphasizes experiencing the journey and the joys of collaboration. The very last Art Share of the middle school session (and will be the same for the h.s. session) was a collaborative effort by all of the faculty. It was really cool.

That's me! Sitka by the C, a take on In C written by Paul Cox.

Long story short, the Art Shares are something that seems pretty unique to the camp, and is a wholly wonderful experience for everyone in the audience.

Looking forward to the last few Art Shares of the high school session!