Staff photo

The upper school took a break from its daily schedule on Tuesday, February 10, to participate in Artsmania, a day when students engage in various art forms through sessions led by outside artists and several faculty members, followed by a talent show. Sessions range from traditional 2D art and ceramics to more abstract art forms such as Tai Chi or salsa dancing. The idea is that students can have a day away from the normal stresses of classes while also learning a new form of art. 

Artsmania began in 1984 when Matt Anderson’84, Art Society President, pitched the idea to Mr. Block. The event started on a much smaller scale since the school was smaller, and focused mainly on traditional art forms. Thereafter, Artsmania was celebrated annually (versus biannually, as it is now).

The second Artsmania was dubbed Folks-Mania and focused on various forms of folk art. Other themes included “Back to the Future”  and a “1950’s” theme day.

As Academy’s school body increased,  it became more difficult to plan, so the Art department began working with the Theatre and Choir Departments to expand Artsmania’s types of art. 

Now the art department flips yearly between Artsmania and the Chicago Art Trip. Mr. Block stated that the department begins planning roughly a year in advance, and they get a separate budget from the normal arts budget.

This year’s students engaged in three of their top workshop choices, from a list of 15. Our day began with keynote speaker Andy Pizza, an illustrator and podcaster who has partnered with Nickelodeon and a New York Times bestselling author for various works, including Invisible Things. After that, students made their way to their first session.

My first session was Fly Fish Lure Making, led by upper school biology teacher Mr. Gittens, who helped us properly make a lure and gave us tools to make our own. This was the first year that this session was offered, but it will likely return next time due to popular demand.

My next session was Hip-Hop Dancing, in which we learned moves to various popular hip-hop songs and then made a TikTok with our newly acquired skills. My final session was salsa dancing, where we learned two distinct types of rhythmic moves. 

A big thank you to the arts department for planning such a fun event for the upper school!

Artsmania will be back in 2028!