The Menlo Bard Creative Arts
Dear Reader, From the start, The Menlo Bard has always been intrinsically tied to creative arts, as well as serving as a platform to elevate various creative arts through the digital medium. I found it odd when I discovered that there were in fact no issues that explicitly featured creative arts as the main theme, and so I made it my goal to make an issue centered around creative arts while giving the arts the respect they deserve. In this issue, I hope to be able to address a few pressing questions regarding the arts, including the question of why teachers at Menlo teach the arts that they do. I also hope to live up to my predecessors that advanced The Bard to becoming the digital magazine that it is today. Although following in the footsteps of previous editors will not be an easy task, I hope that this issue of The Bard will bring you, the reader, some enjoyment at least for a while. Andrea Li Editor In Chief
From The Editor
CREATIVE ARTS AT MENLO When you think of creative arts,
what first comes to mind? Perhaps you think of visual arts: oil painting, Claude Monet, and the Louvre; or perhaps you think of musical arts: a choir, a dim auditorium, and an upbeat jazz band led by a frantic conductor. Maybe you think of dance, photography, or theater; even the oddities of performance art and modern art exhibitions may come to mind. Regardless of your impression of creative arts, it’s hard to deny that they cover a wide and highly diverse range of subjects and topics. The broad spectrum of the arts is especially visible at Menlo, which offers 23 creative arts classes for the Upper School alone. These creative arts include art, photography, dance, orchestra, filmmaking, drama, and even a class on the history and cultural context of hip hop. Especially with its newly instated requirement for two years of any creative art starting with the class of 2025, Menlo places a great emphasis on the importance of creative arts in its curriculum. Moreover, all of the teachers of these arts all harbor a deep passion for each respective class that they teach. For choir teacher Karen Linford, music is a process of joy and connection with students, both in the classroom and outside. “We can be having the worst day ever, but when I suddenly see my students come into the classroom, I know that [...] we will all leave that space carrying a lot more joy than when we came in,” Linford said.
by: ANDREA LI “I love the energy of choral sound, and the fact that no two voices will ever be the same. I love the enormous range of choral music that singers can experience. I love exposing singers to something they would never listen to at home [...] no matter where life takes me, I will always have gratitude for the fact that I have been able to teach music for the last 24 years.”
“No matter where life takes me, I will always have gratitude for the fact that I have been able to teach music for the last 24 years.” Dance teacher Angela Curotto-Pierson also believes that seeing students “click” with dancing is an important part of the teaching process. “I love seeing my students experience that same joy onstage, or taking what I’ve given them and seeing that passion light up in their eyes, or seeing that moment where something clicks. It’s like the ‘a-ha’ moment: you can see it, they feel something different, and they feel it in their body, and they just get it,” Curotto-Pierson said. Similarly to Curotto-Pierson, photography teacher Amanda Kyed also finds the process of connecting with students to be rewarding, especially during the process of trial and error that so often comes with learning arts.
“I love the enthusiasm and seeing the joy on a student’s face when they get it right,” Kyed said. “Part of dark room photography is doing it in complete blackness [...] And so we practice a lot [...] but when you actually get into the room, and it’s completely pitch black, and you have to do all these steps with the film. Some people take half an hour in there and come out and say, ‘We did it!’. I just love that.”
“It’s social, it’s emotional, it connects us, it expresses emotion; it’s just a different type of language.” As has been brought up many times before, creative arts can be crucial for students seeking a creative outlet to express themselves; in fact, the idea that dance is an important outlet for creativity at Menlo is a strong belief for Curotto-Pierson. “It’s a way to communicate with people in a different way. It’s social, it’s emotional, it connects us, it expresses emotion, it’s powerful; it’s just a different type of language,” Curotto-Pierson said on the art form of dance. Creative Arts Director and drama teacher Steven Minning believes that arts are imperative in everyday life. “‘We need all of the arts [that] are in our lives. Music, dance, visual, drama. Art is rich, vibrant, and dynamic. Art encourages balance, and requires all of us to look within ourselves so we can learn and act on what matters most to us,” Minning said. Meanwhile, music teacher Leo Kitajima Geefay places emphasis on the idea that one reason music education is so important is because of its greater service to students that goes beyond simply learning
music. “I think music is a really beautiful model of how other subjects can engage their students here [...] so they’re actively demonstrating it. And on top of that, my classes are usually ensemble based, which means that you’re not just creating music or demonstrating your understanding just [by] yourself, but with other people for a greater purpose,” Geefay said. Nina Ollikainen, Menlo’s Upper School art teacher, also brings up the idea that the skills that are learned in visual arts can be applied to every facet of life. “I hope to impress upon students at Menlo that the creation of art is important [...] It is connected to every aspect of life just as much as math and physics are [...] Art is also a way to understand and visualize complex concepts in academic fields,” Ollikainen said. “I hope that many students find enjoyment in the arts as a way to express themselves and connect with others. It is all too easy to say ‘I’m no good at art, so why bother?’ Art takes a willingness to play, experiment, practice, make mistakes, and persevere. The process can be just as rewarding as the final product.”
illustration: Sophia Hinshaw
Michele Hrakto: Influences and Inspiration Artists at Menlo aren’t exactly rare; however, the students that populate the school tend to focus more on STEM-related topics. Despite this, on the off chance that you do find someone that has focused most of their time and energy into the arts, they are typically skillful at what they do and put great effort into their art. Michele Hratko is a junior at Menlo who has done art her whole life. As she got older, she started getting into art more extensively. Recently, she took an architecture course over the summer and is currently taking another one this semester. The summer course was four weeks of intensive work on only one project. “The project is a board with different drawings and photos in it,” Hrtako said. So far it’s her favorite piece of art she’s created due to the amount of effort and time she put into developing it. In terms of traditional art, Hrakto’s favorite medium to work with is acrylics because of their wide variety of usages. “It’s very versatile and you can combine acrylics with different other types of mediums,” Hratko said. Digital life is also a medium frequently used by Hratko. She typically uses an iPad to generate ideas for future art pieces by gathering inspiration photos or photoshopping pictures together. From there, she sketches some preliminary designs before drawing the final piece on
by: ANYA PATEL
paper and lastly, painting it. Hratko finds her iPad and ideating digitally beneficial to her overall art routine. “I can draw something and then test different colors without having to actually paint,” Hrakto said. Furthermore, she finds inspiration from the world around her and social justice issues. “I try to have some sort of message to my art, whether that be sustainability or climate change,” Hrakto said. She also takes inspiration from aspects of nature, such as landscapes and plants. One person who has really encouraged Hratko and her art is her uncle. “My uncle is an artist and he has inspired me a lot. He does a lot of painting and spray paint, but also digital art on the iPad [...] he inspired me to get my own iPad and start doing more digital art,” Hratko said. “It’s just cool to see how he promotes his art and sells his art on social media.” A piece of advice Hratko gives to any newer artists is to do art for yourself and not for anyone else’s validation. “Create what you want to create and [don’t] worry about what other people think about it or if it’s good enough to be posted anywhere, because if you’re proud of your art then other people will hopefully see that too,” Hratko said.
Michele Hratko
Artist’s Picks by: ANDREA LI
For myself and many other artists, music is conducive to the creative process. What this means for me is that when I begin to paint, write or really do anything creative, I always find myself reaching for my headphones and my trusty Spotify playlist. Because of this, I’ve compiled a few songs that I especially enjoy listening to while making art. Feel free to give these songs a try if you’re ever in the mood to put on some tunes and just create!
photo: Chloe Lee
If you’re more into wordless instrumentals, check these out…
...or if you’re more into vocal songs, check these out!
illustrations: Sophia Hinshaw
illustration: Sophia Hinshaw
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editor in chief
Andrea Li
lead contributor
Chloe Lee
writing editors
Anya Patel Alan Xu
guest contributors
Sophia Hinshaw Michele Hratko
teacher adviser
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Tripp Robbins