By Nitika Kaul ’12, Staff Writer

For the past four years, Newark Academy has hosted a variety of artists who have worked with NA classes as part of the Artists in Residence program.  Through this program, which is generously funded by the Newark Academy Parents’ Association (NAPA), students at NA have the unique opportunity to gain first hand exposure and insight into the world of art at a professional level.

The Artist in Residence program was not an elaborate scheme crafted by the administration, but rather it was  suggested by an NA parent to allow students to interact with someone who has had “real world experience” in his or her respective field of art. So far the Artist in Residence program has played host to three guest artists: Bill Bowers, Shani Collins and Thomas Bradshaw. Mr. Jacoby, Head of the Arts Department, stated that while trying to find a guest artist, he  tries“to rotate around the Arts” so the guest artists will “benefit not just the theater” but the other Arts as well. Mr. Jacoby believes that having a guest artist reinforces what the students learn in school, as “no matter how many times [the teacher] says something to the students, it finally clicks when the guest artists say it to them.”

Students have seen the direct benefits of the program firsthand: they have had the opportunity to broaden their horizons in the scope of their respective medium of art through the work of talented professionals. Sophomore Erika Kronk, who participated in a dance class that was run by Thomas Bradshaw last year, read a play written by Bradshaw. She thought “it was a completely different spin on the stories that have been taught in class.” After reading the play, the class “tried to use the text to choreograph an emotional piece in response.”

Through their experience with Mr. Bradshaw, students like Erika have not only gotten a chance to explore art forms beyond the realms of NA’s walls, but they have also been able to reach above and beyond the original aims of the Artist in Residence program. These students can see how different genres of art interact with one another. NA Arts students have the opportunity to discover that the world of art can actually be quite interdisciplinary, as one’s talent in acting can actually lead to a more holistic and innovative approach to dance. The exposure to art by professionals, as well as the belief in the harmony of different art forms, are the two main merits of the Artist in Residence program, and students anxiously await the newest addition to its list of artists who have inspired and enriched the NA artistic experience.