Senior shows are something to celebrate and also bring a bit of sadness to me. It means that these artists will leave school soon and move on with their lives. We will be left behind. It is nice to spend time with your students and see them develop into fine young people with a set of skills that will help them in their life pursuits. One of my main goals as a teacher is to teach them not to need me to tell them what to do next but to teach them to be able to figure that out on their own and to trust their instincts. This will serve them well as they continue on as artists.
But it still makes me sad to see them walk away just when they are getting really interesting to watch. I love seeing them know what they want to do as artists, to see them secure with their decisions and ready to do what it takes to make the work strong. What has been so easy is those little conversations as they stop in at my door to share an idea, ask a question or just hang. These will be memories soon.
Now we just need to celebrate!
