ONE FINE FESTIVAL Behind the scenes of Odyssey; students, new coordinator focused on fostering an exploration of the arts
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tudents recently participated in the Odyssey festival on Feb. 4 and 5, a biennial event aimed towards exploring the fine arts. For two days, students attended workshops and performances taught by experts, ranging from visual arts to theatre arts to music. With approximately 560 handson classes and 240 professional artists in attendance, Odyssey required months of planning in advance. Alexis Lee ’20 is a member of Odyssey Club, both to continue her interests in the fine arts and to contribute to Odyssey’s preparation. “I’ve participated in a lot of fine arts events at school, and Odyssey is a really fun way to learn from artists who teach during these two days,” Lee said. “It’s really nice to help plan an event that brings people closer to fine arts.” This year, Stevenson hired a new Odyssey Coordinator, Amanda Long, to lead the festival’s preparation and curate the exhibits available throughout the event. Long hopes that students are more exposed to the fine arts to consider possible personal interests or careers in the fine arts. “Given Odyssey’s tagline of ‘an adventure in the arts,’ we’ve got visual arts, music, theater arts, dance and a miscellaneous crafts for students to explore,” Long said. “I hope that as
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February 2020 - News
Odyssey was a renewed emphasis on hands-on experiences, based on feedback from two years ago. With some students expressing disinterest in Odyssey because students are not guaranteed any classes, Long focused on selecting professionals that matched what students wanted. Students also worked extensively to ensure both days ran smoothly. For instance, Odyssey Club played an important role in publicizing the event and organizing the day-of setup. “Through my first year in setting up Odyssey, I’ve gotten a greater perspective of the scope of the entire event,” Lee said. “We have from 60-90 volunteers since Odyssey requires a lot of student effort to make sure the rooms are set up and advertisements are sent out to the student body.” The Fine Arts Department, Long and Odyssey Club worked closely together to organize Odyssey. Ultimately, all of the work was directed towards fostering a larger appreciation for the fine arts. “All students will go out into the art forms and careers available,” Grice said. “When world as consumers of art,” Long students enroll in a Fine Arts class, said. “The absolute dream would be students develop skills such as cre- to help students become literate arativity, artistic literacy, technique, tistic citizens.” expression, perseverance and confidence.” WRITTEN BY: DYLAN HU One major change at this year’s DESIGNED BY: ELYSSA GAVENDA students grow into their adult lives [...] they find the right place for art in their lives.” Director of Fine Arts Jon Grice believes that Odyssey signifies Stevenson’s commitment to ensuring all students engage in artistic experiences. Some students even select fine arts courses because of their Odyssey experiences. “Through Odyssey, it is my hope that students gain exposure and appreciation for the variety o f
