By Nitika Kaul ’12, Staff Writer

This fall, the IB Visual Arts and IB Dance students had a chance to take their talent out of Newark Academy, and explore a far bigger classroom: New York City. After all, what better place to get inspired than the Big Apple? After stopping in the Moonstruck Diner for a quick bite to eat, the dancers and artists split up, each exploring the city in different and interesting ways.

The IB Dancers had a simple, yet intriguing goal: to take advantage of New York’s unique landscape to find inspiration. Armed only with cameras and their bodies, they wanted to bring back snapshots that that could serve later as inspirations.  With this in mind, the dancers first traveled to the Highline Park, an old railway track that has been converted into an aerial walkway. With plenty of greenery and interesting metal structures, it’s the perfect place for striking poses and improvising. Hutchinson, ’12, commented “it was a completely new experience for me and I was really surprised by the amount of people that joined us.” While posing, passersby joined in the fun, creating even more interesting and authentic photos. At one point, two friendly New Yorkers who practiced yoga daily joined dancers already forming a yoga pose. What had started out as a simple picture with two dancers on the High Line turned into a complex image with several dancers and New Yorkers all practicing yoga.

Meanwhile, the IB Visual Arts students traveled to Chelsea, where they explored many different independent art galleries. They had the opportunities to view work by both well-known and emerging artists, seeing pieces that ranged from grotesque sculpture to avant-garde video art. Meera Toolsidas, ’13, remarked that that the experience gave her inspiration. “I would never even be able to imagine most of the art that I saw in the galleries; it gave me a whole new perspective on how I can create my own pieces.” Chantelle Westlock, ’12, thought that a “sand and light projection piece,” a complex multidimensional work, was the most amazing part of the trip. This artwork was made using sand that was spread out in a 5 foot diameter with splotches of ever changing color. Chantelle commented, “At first we had no idea what the piece was, but I think it was amazing because I had never seen anything like it before.” The artwork in the galleries, while sometimes bizarre, certainly provided the students with new ideas for their own art.

After a long day of dancing and critical observation, the dancers and artists headed home with hundreds of pictures of the day’s work. Many dancers and artists drew on inspiration from this trip to create their next IB pieces, synthesizing the textures and themes of the city into new art. Currently, the IB Dance students are working on duets, and the IB Art students are creating a wide array of paintings, 3-d art and sculptures. By the end of the year, their experiences in the city will have blossomed into new, inspired art that we can all enjoy.