THE ARTS
Thinking of You: Bullis Postcard Project During the first week of school, Upper School students wearing masks entered an art classroom in the Blair Family Center for the Arts. Seated several feet apart at tables divided by Plexiglas barriers, they listened as Art teacher Angela Swadling, who came to Bullis this year from Sydney, Australia, introduced herself, and then introduced the year’s first project for this Upper School Painting class: creating postcards to share with Bullis employees. Every year, the Upper School Visual Arts Department looks for a community-based art activity. This fall, Upper School Visual Arts Chair and Teacher Kathleen Adams, with Upper School Art Teachers Angela Swadling and Alice Shih-Kahn, challenged their students to create a new spin on
postcard art. The idea originated with the #artofkindnesspostcardproject and artist Maryanne Hawes, who created postcardsized artworks and left them in random places to spread joy and share art with strangers. The Bullis postcard version was designed to surprise Bullis community members with postcard art to express gratitude for all that they do and create new connections across our community. “How does art build community?” Swadling showed students postcards from Victorian times to now. “These were the social media of their day. Today, postcards are especially important for helping us celebrate and feel the human connection” in a world of masking, distancing, and quarantines. “Bullis has put so much energy into
“You are the reason we feel comfortable to return to school.”
—Ariana Wright ’21
making the school a safe place for everyone.” She asked students to notice recent changes around campus. “Think about who set up those hand sanitizer units, who placed the signs, who created the safety protocols for us to follow, and then create designs to thank them for doing that.” Using pencils, markers, paints, collage materials—some of which came from art kits assembled by Bullis art teachers to distribute materials that might otherwise be widely shared in class—students crafted artworks on blank 4x6 inch postcards. Considering the elements of art and principles of design discussed in class, they drew inspiration from postcards, Zentangles, the world around them, and their imaginations. They thoughtfully noticed Bullis initiatives such as remote learning programs, new procedures, changes to classrooms, the Dining Hall, the lunch menu, and more. “This is an initiative of kindness, and using art to express that,” Swadling said. Kathleen Adams agreed. “Our fervent hope is to continue this effort through Art Club and the National Art Honor Society, sharing artwork and a kind message with all members of the Bullis community.” After creating the unique and beautiful cards, students wrote personalized messages of thanks and appreciation on the back, and distributed them to offices, classrooms, and mailboxes around campus, surprising and delighting the many recipients. “Given the need for physical distancing, it seems more important than ever to use our artistic talents to create connections across our community,” Adams said.
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BULLIS | Fall-Winter 2020-2021
