At the end of the school year, when people walked into CA’s Upper School building, they saw the newest art installation hanging above the main steps. This chandelier-like structure of cubes decorated in various manners may, and should, cause the viewer to stop and wonder what it is. The answer: what you see hanging from the ceiling are vision cubes — a fusion of each student of the Class of 2016’s search for his or her own identity and artistic talents. This art piece reflects the hard work of both the sophomore class and the project’s leads, Upper School art teacher, Katy Hills, and Upper School counselor, Liza Skipwith.
Skipwith meets with sophomore students many times each year, and she says the way she conducts these meetings has evolved over time. Her goal each year is to help students reflect on their identities and determine goals for themselves for their remaining high school years. Skipwith decided she wanted to find a more creative way for students to explore their identities, so not surprisingly, she turned to Hills, and the duo building, they saw the newest art decided to help their students create their own “vision cubes.”
First, sophomores met in groups with Skipwith, and they talked about their identities, answering questions like, “What qualities do I want in my friends?” “What am I thankful for?” “Who do I want to be?” and “What matters to me?” Students took time to reflect individually and then worked with Hills. She asked students to answer the same questions in an artistic manner by creating artwork on a cube.
The resulting products are as varied as the students in the class itself. One cube has small mirrors and pieces of glass adorning it. Another has the word, “Wish” on a ticket. Another has a cut-out tennis ball on the bottom, clearly illustrating one student’s favorite sport. Despite the variations among the pieces of art, they hang together in an impressive structure, symbolizing the Class of 2016‘s identity.