Dr. Susan McCrory: Roxbury Latin Art

C R E AT I N G

SPACE

for Understanding & Expression Boys explore a range of media and technique in Class III

by Erin Berg

our classrooms on campus are distinguished, for the senses, by what happens within them. Marked by scents of sawdust or drying plaster; paint-splattered and etched by decades of R.L. boys; peaceful and lit in a way that brings colors to their intended vibrancy; or buzzing (literally), each of these spaces is ripe for creation. While you may have to work to find these visual art classrooms—nestled downstairs, back stage, in quiet corners—those efforts are richly rewarded.

“The ultimate goal of our department isn’t to make artists, but to make art lovers,” says Brian Buckley, long-time chair of the arts department. “We’re not intending to make masters, but rather students who are sophisticated at looking, and appreciating, and accessing meaning in art. Those are important skills in a complicated world.”

At R.L., boys are introduced to this discipline early. As sixies, in their Natural Design class, students are exposed, by Brian, to the fundamentals of three-dimensional design and construction: linear perspective, structure, function, aesthetics. There, boys become familiar with hand tools and the unforgiving countenance of poplar. In Class IV, boys grasp the fundamentals of drawing, and move through a variety of media, in Introduction to Visual Art.

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“The nature of the wood we use dramatically influences both the process and the final product.We’re taking advantage of the grain structure, patterns, color, and shape of a very specific and unique piece of wood.”

—Nate Piper The boys always begin with fresh-fromthe-mill, rough-cut lumber, so a portion of the course is focused on getting the wood from its raw form into flat, finished, ready-to-use stock. “That process might sound elementary or boring, but it’s a hugely rewarding experience. Boys leave with an understanding and appreciation of where wood comes from and of the different types of wood used in traditional

New England furniture making.”

Working in hardwoods—cherry, maple, walnut—students learn the basics of the machine shop, as well: how to use the jointer, planer, table saw, chop saw. The boys show great respect for the tools and for one another in this space, which is critical when you’re working with this kind of machinery.

This semester, boys are crafting endgrain cutting boards, and Nate says they’re

often surprised by the beauty of their final pieces. “The goal is not to have a finished dining set by the end of the semester, but rather for the boys to understand and appreciate what goes into creating a beautiful piece of woodworking. They’ve thought through the process, navigated the pitfalls, and ideally they walk away with something they’re proud of.”

This understanding of medium and process, as a means of problem-solving, is at the root of Dr. Sue McCrory’s course, Art & Technology, introduced to the curriculum in 2015.

“My goal is to give the boys a historical sense of the technologies and techniques employed by artists, architects, and engineers over time—and through which those individuals responded to practical or creative problems,” says Sue. “Technology looks different from age to age. Technology as the students know it doesn’t apply to ancient Rome, or ancient Egypt. Tech-

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Dr. Sue McCrory

nique is inextricably tied to technology, and I want to give the boys a sense of what’s possible with the materials we study.”

Sue organizes her class into three media: architecture, sculpture, and painting. From there, she introduces a historical study and then a contemporary unit. In sculpture, for instance, boys might first learn how Michelangelo carved marble, and then study a modern-day kinetic sculptor, or a land artist who relies on found, organic materials, rejecting technology entirely.

“Many of these boys have been on the Class IV trip to Rome, so they recall some of the ancient artwork they saw there, including Bernini,” says Sue. “So we’ll look at Michelangelo, and Bernini, and then the boys will work their own small piece of soapstone. They come to appreciate how difficult that is.

“I want the students to feel proud of their work, but I’m not interested in the product.

I’m interested in the process. I want to know they’re fashioning their models thoughtfully to respond to the issue at hand.

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April 2018

“With [alumnus and engineer] Matt McCambridge on campus this year, we began our architecture unit with a contemporary artist—a Japanese architect named Shigeru Ban, who won the Pritzker Prize in 2014. He won it not for his commercial

powerhouse designs, but for his designs in humanitarian relief architecture. He goes into areas that have been devastated by a natural event and produces residences for that community. Having been exposed to Matt McCambridge’s work in design-

Building (and Busting) Bridges In winter term, Class III Physics students tested their newly acquired engineering knowledge in a bridge-building assignment. The challenge is to build the lightest bridge possible that will support the heaviest load, while meeting certain specifications. The bridges were loaded to failure—tragically, there is only one way to find out how strong they are—and scores were based on a load-to-mass ratio. Ian Richardson designed the winning bridge: an I-beam design that finally failed at 180 lbs (1.73 lbs/gram). John Harrington’s bridge (left) won the “most aesthetic and best constructed” bridge. We will never know how strong John’s was, as Mr. Moore did not have the heart to test its limits!

“My goal is to give the boys a historical sense of the technologies and techniques employed by artists, architects, and engineers over time—and through which those individuals responded to practical or creative problems.”

—Sue McCrory ing wheelchairs for people in developing nations, the boys see these elegant, thoughtful design solutions that address very real, practical needs.”

From Shigeru Ban’s clean, architectural designs, which combine purpose and aesthetics, Sue introduces the bridge building techniques of ancient Rome; after learn-

ing about the structures, materials, and processes, the boys break into two groups creating bridges in that ancient style.

Sue and Brian first, together, figure out what materials the students will use to simulate the stones and mortar, to represent the riverbanks, and to fill the spandrels.

With their charge, materials and tools, the

boys step up to the task, and they come away with an appreciation of what these great, ancient architectural achievements mean when they witness them in the world.

“Boys here are curious, diligent, creative,” says Sue. “They’re willing to suspend their pride. And boys don’t have to actually succeed in this class—all they have to do is work hard, because exposure and understanding are really the lessons.

I love when the boys’ eyes pop when I’m introducing a new historical period or technique.”

By the end of their Class III year, boys have a different means of expression available to them. Their eyes are opened to the natural world, to the sophistication of elegant design, to great feats of architecture, and to another kind of problem solving that demands of, and engages, the senses.

Western Civ Projects February 26 looms large on the Class IV calendar.

It is the due date for their Western Civ projects, long a component of the freshman curriculum in which students research, produce, and orally defend a model or reproduction of an artifact, building, or historical scene that is linked to Western Civilization. Parameters dictate that the student must make his project with his own hands (no kits). Making use of technologies offered in the IDEA lab is allowed, but plugging in a prefabricated design for something in a 3-D printer and presenting this as one’s project is not allowed. In addition to being graded on the oral defense, each student is graded on his accuracy in representing the original, his workmanship, and the project’s degree of difficulty.

Since Class IV’s service project focuses on the residents of Deutsches Altenheim, Class IV Master Jim Ryan arranges for his freshmen to host a reception in their honor in the Great Hall.The boys stand by their projects to explain them to the guests and answer questions. Señor Ryan also has his Spanish students (mostly freshmen) present their projects to their classmates entirely in Spanish.

Conor Downey (top left) and Bobby Luca (bottom left) earned the informal “Best of Show” awards, with their representations of the famous stained-glass window from the Cathedral at Chartres, France, featuring Mary and the Christ Child, and a model of an Irish harp. Pictured at right: Will Specht with his trebuchet.

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