Pandemic Pivoting Shapes Arts Curriculum at Bolles

Smart Moves: Pandemic ‘Pivoting’ Shapes 2021-22 Arts Curriculum at Bolles

When the global pandemic flipped the script on arts instruction in the spring of 2020, Bolles Director of Fine and Performing Arts Laura Rippel worked with faculty to discover enterprising new ways to advance the arts both in-person and online. This flexibility and openness to new opportunities took the arts at Bolles into new dimensions of excellence during the ensuing school year and continues to define the program’s 2021–22 season on all four campuses.

“In planning for this year, we wanted to take what we had learned from last year’s required ‘pivoting’ and continue to use the best bits,” Rippel said.

Some of the “keepers” born out of Covid constraints include: a larger online presence with the School’s virtual art shows and artist profiles; a popular Drumline program built from the frustrations of wind musicians who could not play as actively during the pandemic; and livestreaming performances when publishing companies allow in addition to hosting ticketed, in-person events. Some of the more normal arts activities that have reemerged this school year include in-person, ticketed gallery receptions, artist talks, guest performances and live performances of all sorts.

Thinking outside of the box during the past two years has brought new vision to the program. One of the most exciting curriculum additions is Bolles’ new Global Design and Social Innovation course, which is rooted in the concepts of Design Thinking, a method developed at the Design School at Stanford University.

“It brings designers through a five-stage process of creative design and problem-solving: empathize, define, ideate, protoype and test,” Rippel explained. “Students in this class are tasked with innovative projects such as Guerilla Advertising, Package Design, Advertising in the Digital Age and many more.”

As a culminating project, students are collaborating with local businesses to design solutions for their real-world needs.

This year also marks the inaugural season of the Randy and Tracy Skinner Endowed Resident Guest Musician program, Rippel said. The fund allows the Bolles Fine and Performing Arts Department to bring in a resident guest musician every other year to work with students. This year, Bolles will host professional percussionist and educator Hunter Gross, who is joining students weekly throughout the year to work with student percussionists on the Bolles Upper School San Jose Campus.

“We are excited to hear the fruits of his labors at the band concerts throughout the year,” Rippel said.

A professional visual artist also will be broadening students’ artistic experiences this year through a biannual Peyton Endowed Guest Visual Artist workshop upcoming. The fund allows the department to bring in top visual artists in varied disciplines to work with students during the school year. Rippel expects to make an announcement about the visual artist selected to participate in the program this spring.

Continuing the School’s dedication to expanding learning opportunities for artists in all areas, Bolles Director of Dance Angela Blackledge hosted world-renowned choreographer Derrick Mitchell for the second time at Bolles this fall. The choreographer for the Los Angeles production of “Hamilton,” Mitchell worked with students on a piece for their spring dance concert during a two-day workshop on the Bolles Middle School Bartram Campus. The second dance guest artist of the year will be a dancer from the Hubbard Street Dance company of Chicago.

Finally, the entire School community was over the moon and under the sea for the fourth-ever all-school musical, “The Little Mermaid” in November. More than 100 Bolles students in grades Pre-K through Grade 12 were part of the cast and crew.

“We have an amazing cast from all four of our campuses,” Rippel said. “After not being able to get together as an entire community last year, we felt this was especially important this year.”

Longtime drama faculty member Michael Fritton joined the cast and for the first time ever, the school invited alumnus David Gile ’78 to join the cast in an effort to really make it all-school, Rippel said. Gile is the CEO of Jacksonville engineering firm Gheelay Corp., and he has performed in many local productions including “12 Angry Men” at Theatre Jacksonville.

In true All Things Possible spirit, the Fine and Performing Arts Department at The Bolles School has set the stage for a history-making 2021–22 year in the arts!