Practice What You Teach
By JENNIFER LIM ‘20
Walking into Kellner, one immediately notices the faculty exhibit, which showcases pieces from eight of Milton’s art teachers. Dedicated to Kay Herzog, a “longtime member of the faculty and champion of the Arts at Milton Academy,” the exhibit, Practice What You Teach, showcases the art teachers’ pieces that communicate the inspiration behind and individual relationship to their artwork.
Mr. Nobles showcases a series of four pictures taken during his family’s move from New York to Boston. Titled Unboxed, Mr. Nobles drew inspiration from the stack of cardboard boxes he had collected. His kids reused these cardboard boxes to recreate scenes from their youthful imagination. Mr. Nobles took pictures of his kids playing with these boxes and, using Photoshop and other pictures he had taken, he created a highly realistic snapshot of his kids’ imaginations. Mr. Nobles’ passion for photography comes from the fact that it “can be used as a form of expression and creation.” Through these photographs, he hopes to demonstrate the power of creativity and imagination.
Ms. Swain’s portraits and sculpture are very realistic, as she wants people to realize the “power in everyday scenes and subjects.” Because the people she chose for her portraits were important to her, she focused on keeping the background simple, shifting focus primarily toward the subject. The viewer’s primary focus on the person fosters a “new relationship with the subject,” which, to her, is important when “[observing and transcribing] the world around [her].” In doing so, she shows how inspiration can come from anyone or anything.
Ms. Hughes’ prints are so important to her because they are “an act of storytelling.” The prints in the collection are all relevant to her story. Two of them, for example, are old pictures from her Instagram. Three of her newer prints are inspired by the conversations she had this past summer with her brother about their mother. Ms. Hughes was inspired by her personal experiences and memories with her mother and tells those stories through lithographs.
Mr. Pollans’ sculptures show the four Milton teachers who have impacted him the most. Inspired by their “intellectual scope, their dynamic presences, and their love of energy,” he pays homage to these four teachers: Kay Herzog (to whom this show is dedicated), John Charles Smith, David Smith, and Nina Seidenaman, who have had a significant impact on him as both a teacher and artist. While making these sculptures, he says he captured their energy and impact by “finding the visual essence.”
Ms. Darling thinks of art as her first language. Her multicultural upbringing has influenced her artwork, which allowed her “the most consistent form of communication.” Due to her Japanese upbringing, Japan and its unique styles of art have influenced her pieces, which are often intertwined with styles from her western education. Ms. Darling’s work helps her “make sense of the world” and hopes it will send a message to her viewers and raise thought-provoking questions about the events happening in the world today.
Mr. Torney’s oil paintings are inspired by the changing views from his summer studio. As the landscape changes with the weather, season, or time of day, he captures the movements through painting. Connecting to a larger theme, he explores how these transformations in nature connect to the “dichotomy between the social constructs of painting and humanity’s understanding of the intrinsic impermanence of nature and the sublime.”
Mr. Fuller bridges the gap between the visual and performing arts by having the visual and performing elements of a production work together to tell a story more effectively. He “[believes] that all aspects of a production should serve to tell the story and bring it alive.” And, to him, those aspects of a play includes not only the performance but also visual elements like production posters, lighting, and set design.
Mr. McDermott’s sculptures draw inspiration from nature but add an abstract twist. Most of his sculptures, for example, demonstrate the contrasts between the various landscapes of the American West, where he grew up. He chose clay as his medium for these sculptures due to “its deep literal and metaphorical connection to land.” More specifically, he described how sculptors’ interactions with clay mirror “geological mechanisms,” again demonstrating the connection to nature and its unexpected contrasts. His sculptures explore and examine the “edges of interaction between humans and their environments.”
Though each teacher has a unique style and medium, there are similarities behind their pieces, especially those shown in the exhibit. Each teacher has a different source of inspiration, but all connect to a larger theme of important people or places. They use art as a form of communication and expression, displaying a clear passion for art and willingness to share that appreciation with students at Milton.