THE ARTS INITIATIVE
Congressional School seeks ways to bring our community together through the arts in a way that immerses us both intellectually and culturally across our campus and in all grades, Infants-Grade 8.
The Arts Initiative is structured around three goals:
1. To amplify the arts presence on campus by enhancing the intersection of the arts with other disciplines
2. To provide our students with a more expansive curriculum (e.g., strings, dance, orchestra, ceramics, multimedia art, etc.) and create new territory for faculty to experiment with innovative teaching, artmaking, performance, and experimentation
3. To give our community increased opportunity to engage with guest artists, performers, and cultural institutions well beyond Congressional.
ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM
In 2023, we launched a new Artist-in-Residence Program as part of our multi-year Arts Initiative. We welcomed two accomplished artists to campus, Jason Curry, a musician and educator, and Amy Fitts, a Broadway actor and educator, who worked with our students and Arts faculty and assisted our teachers in creating new educational units in our Arts curriculum.
THE ARTS AT CONGRESSIONAL
Congressional School enjoys a distinctive legacy of excellence in the arts, both performance and visual, fostered by an excellent faculty and strong curriculum. The arts help students more deeply see what they look at, hear what they listen to, and feel what they touch. Furthermore, engagement in the fine arts at Congressional School helps students stretch their minds beyond boundaries and frees them from rigid certainty.
ARTS GUILD
The Arts Guild is dedicated to supporting the Fine and Performing Arts at Congressional, and welcomes parents and family members in all divisions interested in participating in a wide variety of volunteer opportunities. It provides support to the Fine Arts Department by offering volunteer opportunities to parents who can play a vital role in supporting the needs of our Music, Visual Art, and Debate and Speech programs. If you are interested in supporting through volunteering or giving, please contact development@congressionalschool.org.
NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC
We are pleased to partner with Gary Padmore, Director of Education and Community Engagement, New York Philharmonic, who will advise us on education and community engagement matters. The NY Philharmonic is the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States.
THE ARTS VISIONING COMMITTEE
Sara Hawkins
Primary and Lower School Art Teacher
Caroline McKinney
Middle School Art Teacher