By Kelly Lu ’23 & Jasmine Zhang ‘23/The Lawrence 

This winter, Lawrenceville’s Artist in Residence Stuart Robertson ’11 piloted a new visual arts co-curricular. According to Robertson, the co-curricular’s purpose is to create a space where “artists can gather together, where they have a time and place to make art, and [where they] all have a goal to work towards – just like any other sport.” During its meetings, ten students work closely with Robertson, who acts as a facilitator offering assistance and advice for all of the aspiring artists in the room. Robertson envisions a space where students can engage in “preparation, preparation, preparation; practice, practice, practice, in hopes [of having the activity’s] own ‘game day,’ which hopefully will be an exhibition at the end of the term.”

With a final exhibition in mind, Robertson intends on having participants create a variety of pieces throughout the term and display the pieces to the School community. The students’ creative processes begin with a prompt given by Robertson, which they are to interpret visually. Sam Huh ’23, one of the participants this term, commented that [he is] “looking forward to [their] exhibition-like event at the end of the term . . . it was originally designed with specific themes in mind, but COVID did end up making [us] deviate from some of the original plans. However, the exhibition is still something everyone should look forward to.”

When asked why he started this co-curricular, Robertson answered with one word: Frustration. He continued to explain how during his time as a Lawrenceville student, there was not as much space during the day as there was for athletes for artists to pursue their passions. Robertson also noticed that even during art classes, students often felt obligated to focus on the graded portion of their work. To address these concerns, Robertson explained that he “wanted students to have a space to dive into art practices and wasn’t dependent on grades.”

Sally Lee ’23, an advanced art student, said, “You need a different mindset for school art compared to exhibition art since creating work for a gallery [you know] you’ll have an audience. Because of this, I treat my work [and] the messages I want to send differently.”

Robertson lightheartedly commented on his wishes for more time for each session. “Once you sit down to start working, you realize your time is almost up!”

Despite the seemingly short sessions, Huh mentioned his gratitude for the co-curricular, saying, “My favorite thing about this visual arts program is how I’m able to allocate the designated co-curricular time to explore and develop a hobby instead of having to [do so] with [extra] time that I can’t afford to spend.”

Robertson emphasized that the focus of this co-curricular is on the students. He insisted that “despite being [a] facilitator [I don’t] know everything. . . . Art is subjective, so [I] can’t be a judge of any of the students’ work. All [I] can do is help activate what’s most important to them.” Lee appreciated Robertson’s efforts as a facilitator; she acknowledged how “he gives [the students] a lot of space to work on their own but is always there to help if we need it.” She felt that the co-curricular “is a very independent space and so it encourages students to grow as artists.”

The co-curricular group is comprised of a diverse range of students across Forms and levels of expertise. Robertson, with his job as facilitator, both appreciated the diversity of perspectives and also recognizes the challenge in accounting for the needs of both beginner and advanced artists before planning any activities. However, Robertson sees this work as “less of a con and more of a healthy challenge.” Lee added that the assigned themes are broad enough that every student can explore their individual styles and creative minds. “I actually appreciate all of the various interests and past experiences all of the students have because you can actually see some of their personalities come through in their work, and the pieces show more diversity,” she said.

For additional information, please contact Lisa M. Gillard Hanson, director of Public Relations, at lgillard@lawrenceville.org.