Students can face many impediments to accessing art in the high school. Scheduling issues and constrained class offerings often drive students to turn to independent studies in the visual arts department, according to Visual Arts Curriculum Coordinator Alicia Mitchell.
According to students in independent study classes, independent studies also offer the opportunity to experiment and work with the forms of art they are interested in.
Senior Brittany Nagle, who has completed three photography courses at the high school and is now taking an independent study in photography, said independent study has allowed to her grow as an artist.
“I’ve definitely seen a lot of growth throughout this year with my photography,” Nagle said. “I think it does have a huge part to do with the fact that I can do what I want and I can express myself in whatever I want. All in all, there’s a lot more freedom and with freedom comes, I think, a lot of growth. But I definitely think it was necessary for me to take the other photography classes because I wouldn’t have known half the things about the camera or half the things about how to take a picture if it hadn’t been for those photography classes.”
According to Mitchell, each of the five visual arts department staff members typically work with three to five students on independent studies. To participate in one of these courses, the student must approach a teacher and determine if the teacher has the time to accommodate an independent study, according to Mitchell. The student then writes a proposal detailing what his or her study would focus on; if the teacher accepts it, a timeline is set for the study.
Senior Tahira Saalik does an independent study in photography during A-block.
“I can just take pictures of anything I want,” Saalik said. “My proposal’s pretty broad, and I made it that way so I could do whatever I want.”
Mitchell said an independent study in photography is more common because higher-level classes are bundled together, with Photography III being bundled with Digital Video–meaning that photography students do not get to access the darkroom during class time.
“In ceramics, we have a higher-level class that bundles everyone beyond Ceramics I this year,” Mitchell said. “Next year I think we’ll break it down one more level and we’ll have Ceramics I, II and advanced, and bundle it that way. Independent students in ceramics particularly like the independence of coming and spending a longer period of time working on the wheel than 50-minute blocks throughout the week.”
Nagle said being in an independent study allows her to pursue the type of photography she is interested in.
“There’s certain things that drive me, and to be under constraint sometimes restricts me from going to my fullest,” Nagle said. “So I think independent study works really well for me because I seem to be more passionate about the things that I truly care about and truly work on,” Nagle said.
However, Saalik said that an independent study can lead to a relatively isolated class atmosphere.
“Right now I’m just kind of by myself off in the photo room because the Photo I class is doing digital,” Saalik said. “I don’t really have anyone to talk to.”
Nagle said there are positives and negatives to the isolation of an independent study. She said she would not mind having peers give her healthy criticism, but she appreciates the individual attention she can get with an independent study.
“If I do need Mr. K’s direct attention, I get his direct attention, and that’s really nice,” Nagle said.
Both Nagle and Mitchell stressed the importance of regular classes in the visual arts department.
“I think they are a great opportunity for kids who are busy and want many, many other things on their schedule,” Mitchell said. “It’s a nice opportunity that we are able to provide students. I always encourage students to first see if they can get in a class with other students, because that peer interaction is very valuable as you’re growing in your artistic practice.”
Juliana Kaplan can be contacted at [email protected]
