Blending art and writing in the classroom
One component of Killington Mountain School's 21st century academic program is the addition of new cross-curricular, thought-provoking electives. One popular elective this year is a course that blends creative writing and art. This course, taught by English Department Chair Alex Crivici and Art Department Chair Eric Kuntz is a collaborative class aimed at teaching students the connective relationship between art and writing. The class commenced by asking the enrolled students to articulate their creative goals. From that point forward, the class became a direct reflection of each individual student, catering to his/her authentic interests and ambitions.
Eric commented, "It will be neat to help students learn how closely connected both writing and art are to one another, how a picture is worth a thousand words, and how a single sentence can paint such a picture." Alex added, "Through this class, students will be encouraged to challenge themselves creatively, develop writing skills and learn artistic techniques. To date, the students have created pieces based on the summer reading book, The Alchemist, and pieces reflecting a late summer sunset. "
Student-identified class goals include:
Develop creative writing skills and learn new artistic techniques in drawing
Create a practice of daily writing
Become more comfortable with the writing process and sharing my writing with others
Create writing and art about subjects that I am passionate about
Enhance my skills in photography
Looking to expand my knowledge about the connection between Art and English.
Use this class as a tool to “destress” and allow art and writing to become a tool for calmness
Improve my ability to use detail in art and fine tune my writing
Become a strong, creative writer
Learn how to make pictures tell a story (pertaining to photography)
Allow this class to become a creative space where I can work toward an ambition of mine.
Use more elevated vocabulary and challenge myself in attempting different mediums in art and writing
Allow myself to become vulnerable while expressing myself
"We will be working on assignment/projects from may different starting and finishing points, Eric added. "Students will be exploring multiple types of creative art mediums, as well as different style and types of expressive writing. A big part of this course is also really examining the creative process, and learning how an artist and a writer goes from a blank page to a finished product. As a class, we being exploring all different styles of how one artist/writer engages in this creative process."
Ultimately, the students taking part in the course should turn out some wonderful finished products and in the end, hone their skills in both mediums as a result of their exploration and practice.
