ArtsMania, the biannual celebration of the fine arts, was held on Wednesday, February 17. The promise of a day filled with only arts was exciting to both ninth-graders, who had never experienced it before, and to the rest of the upper school who has had a great time in years past.

The fast-paced day began with the Currier lecture speaker, Dr. Tyler Denmead’94, who talked about his experience with the arts and his unlikely path to becoming an art professor. Along the way, he gave a brief history of New Urban Arts, which is an interdisciplinary art studio located in Providence, Rhode Island, designed to allow young people to explore their creative side.

After the lecture, students attended three one-hour sessions of art classes. The classes, taught by artists from the community, featured a wide variety of options, from Bollywood Dancing to Balloon Art. From the show of hands in the theater after the sessions, nearly everyone learned something new that they enjoyed.

Several sessions of students demonstrated what they had learned in a theater performance before lunch. Students from Bollywood Dancing and Hip-Hop Dancing performed a routine, while the teachers of Barbershop Quartets and Ballroom Dancing showed off what they had taught.

The day finished up with the annual QUEST Talent Show, hosted by emcees Nathan Salon’16 and Cameron Fachman’16. There were poetry readings, dancers, and musicians. Among the usual acts, Latin 5 showed off its “We, Claudashians” skit.

Thanks to Mrs. Sneeringer, the Fine Arts department, the community artists, and everyone else who came together to make ArtsMania possible!