Long after the bell rings in the chapel and students flow to the parking lot, a select few stay behind: in the ceramics studio, in the drawing and painting workshop, in the photography darkroom and in the film studies suite, all working to get projects in before deadlines.
As a graduation requirement, all Upperclassmen must complete at least one year of one of the many fine arts programs offered: debate, film, photography, ceramics, acting, drawing and painting, band, orchestra, wood and metal and choir. While some students choose to complete their one year requirement and focus on other aspects of schooling, some embrace it as a crucial part of their campus life, encompassing all four years of their time here.
From a young age, senior Carson Bosita found joy in drawing alongside his three brothers. These early experiences sparked a lifelong interest in visual storytelling. Throughout Middle and Upper School, Bosita honed his skills in various mediums. As his schedule became busier with fencing tournaments, he transitioned to digital art for its portability.
“As a kid, it’s always fun to just draw,” Bosita said. “During Middle School and the beginning of Upper School, I was making physical paintings with acrylic, oil, charcoal drawings and stuff like that. I was just trying to hone my skills as an artist in general. I have to learn that on my own because our teacher mostly does physical art.”
Bosita’s digital works try to explore themes of modern life and act as a reflection for our modern existence.
“A few of my paintings focused on, ironically, getting stuck in screen time and stuff, or being stuck in the passage of time and being forgotten,” Bosita said.
Beyond personal expression, he finds fulfillment in collaborative projects with organizations on campus, helping to design the senior shirts.
“It’s the simpler logos and stuff that I’m able to share with other people,” Bosita said. “Take their ideas, put them onto paper or on a shirt, in a way that they really want and they would like, and help them that way. In college, I’m probably going to be designing more clothes and stuff like posters for clubs on campus.”
While Bosita channels his creativity through visual arts, another senior, Cam Hurley, has a passion for a different and more dynamic visual art, film, an interest that was instilled at a very young age.
“I always loved entertainment and eventually that morphed into movies,” Hurley said. “I have always loved going to the movie theater, and that just kind of blossomed from there.”
One film, Lilo and Stitch, struck him at a young age for its impactful message and ability to reach vast audiences. Hurley immersed himself in the Film Studies program, which offers students the opportunity to write, produce, and edit their own projects.
The program encourages students interested in community service through film to join the LionHeart Club, where they create public service announcements for local non-profit organizations.
“I was working with seniors when I was a sophomore, and now I’m a senior working with sophomores and freshmen,” Hurley said. “That’s been the rewarding part, getting to strengthen those relationships through a mutual goal.”
Hurley is a proponent of the importance of character-driven narratives, citing filmmakers like Richard Linklater and Alfonso Cuarón as influences.
“Both of them tell stories with really human characters, and I really enjoy that,” Hurley said.
Hurley believes that exposure to diverse film styles enhances a filmmaker’s perspective.
“If a filmmaker really loves Marvel movies, I think they should be exposed to the opposite,” Hurley said. “Getting out of one’s comfort zone is what makes a filmmaker great.”
Highlighting the importance of fundamental storytelling principles, Hurley has some criteria for the truly great film that he strives to achieve and encourages others to achieve through the film program. Most importantly, he believes that a good film needs to have good characters and a good story. And as he prepares for the next chapter, Hurley is set on pursuing a career in filmmaking.
“After high school, I’m planning on going to film school,” Hurley said. “I hope to have a career in filmmaking. That’s kind of the hope. I want to make movies in order to make an impact on others, not necessarily for anything for myself.”
And just across from Hurley in the film studies studio, senior Tiger Yang spends hours editing and perfecting photos in the darkroom and photography suite. Yang always knew that he wanted to become an integral part of the photography program: one of the main reasons he applied to the school in the first place was to be able to work under the guidance of Scott Hunt, Fine Arts Department Chair and Arnold E. Holtberg Master Teaching Chair in photography.
“It was a dream come true to be able to learn from Mr. Hunt and my fellow classmates,” Yang said. “I love the community. It’s just great to do photography with a bunch of guys who also get it.”
An award-winning photographer, Yang has dedicated much of his time and life to the photography program and polishing his art. From planning his journeys and trips to buying necessary equipment, everything is done in careful preparation for the perfect shot. For Yang, his biggest inspirations are Gregory Crewdson and Henri Cartier Bresson, two photographers with seemingly clashing styles: the former preferring elaborate staging and the latter a master of street photography and the “decisive moment.” Both styles are evident in Yang’s work, and for him his favorite memory from photography was one of a challenge.
“I was trying to light a cube with my classmates for an assignment where we had to light three sides of the cube, have them be more or less exactly +1, 0 and -1 stop exposures, and have it float on a pitch-black background,” Yang said. “We were literally and figuratively in the dark and spent hours in the photography studio because Mr. Hunt didn’t give us any tips about how to do it. It was a struggle, and we’re so stressed out because it’s a major grade. But we got it – eventually.”
From his time with the photography program, Yang has taken away four lessons.
“Learn from the masters, aim for greatness, know when something is not ‘good enough’ and learn to collaborate,” Yang said.
