Odyssey: Behind the Scenes

ONE FINE FESTIVAL Behind the scenes of Odyssey; students, new coordinator focused on fostering an exploration of the arts S tudents recently participated in the Odyssey festival on Feb. 4 and 5, a biennial event aimed towards exploring the fne arts. For two days, students attended workshops and performances taught by experts, ranging fom 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 fne arts and to contribute to Odyssey’s preparation.

“I’ve participated in a lot of fne arts events at school, and Odyssey is a really fun way to learn fom artists who teach during these two days,” Lee said. “It’s really nice to help plan an event that brings people closer to fne 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 fne arts to consider possible personal interests or careers in the fne arts.

“Given Odyssey’s tagline of ‘an adventure in the arts,’ we’ve got visual arts, music, theater arts, dance and a miscellaneous crafs for students to explore,” Long said. “I hope that as students grow into their adult lives [.] they fnd the right place for art in their lives.”

Director of Fine Arts Jon Grice believes that Odyssey signifes Stevenson’s commitment to ensuring all students engage in artistic experiences. Some students even select fne arts courses because of their Odyssey experiences.

“Through Odyssey, it is my hope that students gain exposure and appreciation for the vari- e t y o f art forms and careers available,” Grice said. “When students enroll in a Fine Arts class, students develop skills such as creativity, artistic literacy, technique, expression, perseverance and confdence.”

One major change at this year’s Odyssey was a renewed emphasis on hands-on experiences, based on feedback fom 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 frst year in setting up Odyssey, I’ve gotten a greater perspective of the scope of the entire event,” Lee said. “We have fom 60-90 volunteers since Odyssey requires a lot of student efort 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 fne arts. “All students will go out into the world as consumers of art,” Long said. “The absolute dream would be to help students become literate artistic citizens.” WRITTEN BY: DYLAN HU DESIGNED BY: ELYSSA GAVENDA