Students in Denise Flood’s Latin class wrote poetry based on myths and learned calligraphy and calligraphic techniques. They provided their peers in Courtney Alan’s studio art II class with a descriptive image about the myth’s setting and its characters’ traits. those students then students created illustrations and illuminated the calligraphic manuscript.
The artists went through the traditional creative process, parallel to that of a professional illustrator or medieval illuminator, which included brainstorming, collecting references, sketching ideas, refining drawings and finally, painting with gouache and creating patterns.
Following the creative process, the orchestra students received one of the myths, called “Nivia,” as a prototype to create their original composition.
“The process was quite powerful to watch because the students felt engaged,” Flood said. “They worked together to refine the myths and go through variations of the process. It was almost as if my students who created the myths were the client and the art students were the illustrators. And the illustrators really wanted to do a great job to illustrate the best aspects of the myths.”
The students’ final projects were displayed in the newly renovated Bronxville School auditorium lobby for the orchestra/chorus concert on Dec. 22.
“My favorite part of this project was the end, when I saw how everybody’s piece turned out and how the story was shown through different pieces,” said junior Zoe Hutchings, whose project was about a woman whose tears started the first blizzard.
Click here to watch a video about the interdisciplinary project and view the final products.
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