by Joan Martin

The artistic and musical talents of BFS students were celebrated this past week at the annual all-school art show, the spring music concert, and student performances at alumni homecoming on May 20 and the new parent dinner on May 23.

Several hundred pieces of student art work adorned the lower gym, the meeting house, and the lobby from May 19 through 24. The full range of art media taught at BFS was on display: ceramics, sculpture, woodworking, painting and drawing, mosaics and stained glass, photography, collage, mixed media, mobiles, printmaking, 2-D and 3-D art.

Skills and talents were in evidence throughout the show, which delighted and inspired many visitors on opening night and throughout the run of the show, at homecoming, and at the parent dinner. Look for a more extensive “online art show” on the website later in June; here are just a few of the highlights.

On the same night that the art show opened, a continuous musical celebration (top photo below) took place in the meeting house with performances by the middle school orchestras, chorus and musical explorations class, and by the middle and upper school jazz bands. The concert was a time for parents, teachers—and the performers’ peers—to take pleasure and pride in the work of the BFS musicians. Polished and professional, two of these groups had encore performances in the following days. The middle school orchestra, conducted by teacher Elvira Sullivan, played for alumni on their May 20 homecoming (bottom left), and the upper school jazz band, led by teacher Jessica Jones, entertained more than 150 guests at the New Parents Dinner held on May 23 (bottom right).

The arts at Brooklyn Friends School bring a “joie de vivre” to both the artists and the audience members. The next school concert takes place on Tuesday evening, May 30, when students in the afterschool music program present their first annual recital. The time is 6 pm, and the place is the Meeting House. We look forward to seeing you there.