Fifteen Upper School students competed against 59 other teams from around the nation on Saturday, May 17^that the beautiful University of Central Florida (UCF is the second largest University in the United States with 60,000 undergrads).

The team was seeded 51^st going into the tournament (because Maine has a small state tournament compared to most other states).  Our strategy this year was for students to focus on one of their three individual events to get as high a ranking as possible in selected events (there are 23 events).  We did notably well in 13 of the events (see below).  Waynflete’s performance resulted in one of if not the highest ranking Maine has ever had in the 30 year-old national tournament (48th overall).

Mission Possible

Despite our “Mission Possible” (a Rube Goldberg machine) being lost by our airline and delivered to us 16 hours after we landed and two hours before it was due to compete, the team’s resilience, intelligence, enthusiasm, camaraderie and ability to roll with the punches was impressive.  We are extremely proud to have finished in the top 20 in three events (Maine has never done this): the Scrambler (a vehicle with a raw egg perched on its tip), Entomology, and Write It Do It (a test of technical communication skills).  We also had remarkable success in Astronomy, Disease Detectives, Forensics, Technical Problem Solving, and Water Quality.  We beat our seed in Anatomy and Physiology, Designer Genes, Elastic Launch Glider, Geologic Mapping, and Mission Possible.  We had a few unforeseen disasters, but we are learning from our mishaps!  We also had way too much fun!  Congratulations team!

The team was lead by Captain Lydia Fox and seniors Sally Li, Sophie Benson, Avalena Linsky, Quinn Shivel, Nate Hansen and Louis Frumer.  Our juniors were Ali Ghorashi, Jacob Hagler, Brandon Woo and Julianna Harwood.  Sophomore competitors were Arianna Giguere, Esme Benson, Elly Shivel and Gail Johnson.  The team was coached by Carol Titterton (6-12 Science) and Wendy Curtis (Science Chair).

To view a gallery of pictures from Orlando, click here.

Photo from Friday night’s Opening Ceremony.
Team Photo: Front: Elly, Arianna, Jacob, Gail. Back: Nate, Brandon, Louis, Quinn, Julianna, Sophie, Esme, Sally, Avalena, Lydia, Al.

It seems as though it should be a simple question with an obvious answer: When did Model UN at Waynflete begin?  It turns out that, like all important matters, the answer, if there is one, is not simple at all.  Thank goodness for Master Historian Alice Brock:  “Carolyn Mitchell and I took students to Washington, D.C. and New York.  After we almost lost a student in Penn Station, we nearly called it quits.  (The student shall remain nameless to protect the guilty, but he graduated in 1988.)  We managed to take students to the Harvard Model UN conference for several years thereafter, without losing anyone.”  Then there appears to have been a multi-year hiatus.

Maine Model UN (MeMUNC) began in 1999, and Waynflete was in the inaugural class, led by the indefatigable Carolyn Mitchell.  After her retirement, Ben Mini, brave man, took over, and still runs it today.  From 2011 through 2013, led by Juanita Nichols and Debba Curtis, students who were recognized at the Maine Model UN conference were invited to represent Waynflete at the Harvard conference once again, a conference that included 3,000 students from 39 countries.

Each year, students begin researching their countries and positions on assigned issues in March.  All students write major position papers setting forth the opinions of their respective governments, and all practiced parliamentary procedure.  Then last week, under Ben’s stalwart leadership, 41 students, the largest delegation ever from Waynflete, joined nearly 400 of their peers from 39 other schools from all over Maine.  Our students represented 25 different nations or NGOs, as well as having a seat on the International Court and a member of the press corps.  Our delegation was unusually young, with 30 of its members in ninth or tenth grade.

Despite the youth of our delegation, of the 41 members, 10 were singled out for special recognition. Honorable Mention went to Michael Michaelson ’16, Isabel Canning ’17, Julianna Harwood ’15, Gemma Laurence ’15, and Delegation Leader Boni Kabongo ‘14.  Kat Thomas ’16, Annabelle Carter ’16, Cooper Bramble ’16, and Isabel Floyd ’16 were named Distinguished Delegates, and Jonas Maines ’15 earned the highest award given at MeMUNC, the Diplomacy Award.

Although this was yet another impressive showing by Waynflete students at the MeMUNC, the awards that individuals received are not what matters most to Ben Mini.  According to Ben, “The purpose of Model UN is to foster civic, civil engagement and diplomacy.  What is exciting to me is not so much that X and Y won awards but that all the 9th graders who didn’t win awards are psyched to go again next year.”

Congratulations to all members of the Waynflete team for their good work, enthusiasm, and accomplishments, and thanks to the 12 different members of the faculty who chaperoned at different times over the 48 hour conference, especially Chris Beaven, Mimi Olins, James Carlisle, and Lydia Maier who supervised the overnight slots!  Of course, special thanks are due to Ben Mini for organizing this massive event and creating such a memorable experience for all!

To view a gallery of pictures of the Waynflete delegation in action at the MeMUNC ’14, click here.

Performing Arts Celebration Video

In case you missed it, a few months ago, Steve Kautz wrote an article in USNOW drawing from his long experience as a baseball coach and teacher.  The article, entitled “Hey Batter, Batter … Swing Batter!”, reports a surprising phenomenon he has witnessed over and over again from the dugout; some batters would rather look at strike three than swing at it.

The empirical difference between the two is that if a player takes strike three looking, he is guaranteed to be out; if he swings at a pitch in the strike zone, however, he might put it in play.  Thus, the choice not to swing is a mystery that, according to Steve, “can only be understood as something related to risk taking.  The fear of swinging that bat and missing, of actually trying and then hearing “Steeeerike Three!” from the umpire, can freeze a batter, even though, of course, strike three still comes along complete with the umpire’s screech and the coach’s stare.”

Risk-taking seems to present parents and educators with a basic conundrum when it comes to youth in their charge.  On one hand, adults have an instinct to keep them safe by protecting them from risk. Waynflete is certainly strives to prevent negative risk-taking.  Each year I warn students of the consequences of using alcohol and other drugs during Outdoor Experience.  The ninth grade seminar has an extensive unit on risk prevention.  We hold programs each year for parents on communicating with their children about risky behavior.  We surveyed Upper School parents about their strategies to prevent dangerous risk-taking, which Dean of Students Lydia Maier summarized in a recent USNOW article entitled The Prevention Partnership.

On the other hand, if we adults actually do succeed in eliminating risk from the lives of the youth in our charge, they would be far from safe.  They would stagnate and wither, because human growth is dependent on risk-taking.  As pointed out in a recent article in the Atlantic Monthly, overprotection is detrimental to youth as they will be “more fearful and less creative” than they would be if they were allowed to take more risks.  Most parents and educators want the young people in their charge to grow into autonomous adults, but that happens best when they are encouraged to make real choices, which means that from time to time that they will make real mistakes.  Thus, safety and growth can seem to be mutually exclusive.

Fortunately, raising children is actually less of a conundrum than it may appear to many.  In fact, the best strategy for preventing negative risks is to promote positive risk-taking because positive risk-taking is the healthy means for young people to form their identities.  The more engaged they are with creating their identities, the less apt they are to take risks that might thwart that growth.

In fact, promoting positive risk-taking is a defining quality of the Upper School experience.  My opening talk this year to the Upper School students encouraged positive risk taking.  A few weeks later, Geoff addressed the Upper School for the first time, telling a story of a time that he took a risk, which we followed with a risk-survey of students.  Shortly thereafter, alum Lucas O’Neil addressed an Upper School assembly and described how comedy improv taught him the importance of taking risks or, as he put it, making “one bold choice” on the stage and in life.

Glancing through the archives of USNOW, one will find what seems like an anthology of stories on the benefits of positive risk-taking.  It is apparent that everywhere Waynflete students turn – in and out of the classroom – they are offered chances to go out for a sport, to try out for a play, to compete in some interscholastic event, or to stretch themselves in some way, whether it is Carol Titterton bribing Sophie Benson to participate in the MEST-Up TV game show with a box of Munchkins or Steve Kautz recruiting students to join LifeSmarts or Ray Morrow suggesting to Joey Schnier that he’d make a great bass player for the jazz combo or the performing arts faculty supporting Avalena Linsky in directing a play or Lydia Maier recruiting students to join the Girls Leadership Group or Ben Mini leading 43 students to Maine Model UN or countless other examples that happen daily at Waynflete.

As illustrated in Al Ghorashi’s article on the robotics team, Learning from Mistakes, when young people are encouraged to pursue activities that interest them in which they are allowed to fail and try again, the opportunities to learn and grow and become passionate about something are limitless.  So, the next time you see a young person hesitating to take a risk, do what Steve Kautz and the rest of the Waynflete faculty would do: Encourage him or her to get in the game and take a big swing.  There are few more hopeful and powerful forces on earth than a young person ready and fired up to make bold choices.

This June, eight Waynflete students and three faculty members will trade in their books for shovels and tools as they head off to do service as part of the new Waynflete/ Students Shoulder to Shoulder partnership. Last summer, Meredith Nelligan ’14, Forest Chap, ’13 and Jim Millard, English teacher, returned from exploratory trips with SStS and shared their collectively positive experiences with our community, helping to move the potential collaboration forward and generating excitement in the faculty and student body about global service opportunities.

SStS was founded to offer high school students profound shared experiences working for the greater good alongside committed NGOs abroad and in the US. “Teens shape their worldview early on,” says Bob Bandoni, Executive Director.  “Our purpose remains to compel students from around the world toward a clear, hope-inspired vision of how to confront what we call the paralysis of enormity- the futile feeling of looking at a global challenge that seems too big and too entrenched to even approach.”

This summer, two Waynflete students will build houses and work on wetlands restoration in New Orleans with a relief organization called Common Ground, two others will help design a community health care center in Nicaragua, and one will join in bringing clean water filters to towns in the Amazon basin of Bolivia.  Projects in Kenya, Nepal, and Cambodia involve NGOs who work directly with children on school and garden projects; each trip will have at least one Waynflete student representative.

Sarah Macdonald looks forward to her first experience in Nicaragua where locals are mobilizing a sustainable eco-tourism effort.  “I’m excited to take learning outside of the classroom. Exposing students to new cultures, learning different ways NGOs are helping in developing countries, and working alongside locals are what I am most looking forward to with Shoulder-to-Shoulder. Some of the most potent learning experiences of my life were when I was traveling, so I am thrilled to help navigate that experience for students.” For students studying Spanish, the project also provides the chance to practice the language in real-time to achieve a common goal.

Jim Millard returns to Cambodia again to build on relationships he formed last summer. ” Some of the “Wow!” factor will be diminished, and that will allow me to see the service elements of the experience in a deeper way and with new vision. Also, the people of Cambodia embraced us so warmly, I am eager to reconnect with the islanders on Koh Preah and with our NGO partners in Phnom Penh and to help a new group of young people make that same connection.”  He and Forest can be seen here sampling local cuisine (spiders!) during the experience last year.

Just this April, Lindsay Clarke traveled to Cusco to scout logistics for a project high in the Andes where she and a Waynflete student will focus on expansion of honey-making and trout farming facilities along with other agricultural programs that support the orphans at Munaychay Children’s Village. “I learned so much in just five short days on the ground in Peru last month. Munaychay’s staff and facilities are impressive, and the natural setting is breathtaking. As someone who personally benefitted from having opportunities to study and volunteer internationally, I’m thrilled to be able to help provide a similar experience to the students in my Shoulder to Shoulder group.” Lindsay can be seen here visiting the Salineras de Maras, traditional salt mines that have been in use since pre-Inca times.

Students and faculty will share their experiences with the school community next fall in a Global Forum with the hopes of inviting one of the NGO partners back to the Waynflete campus to speak about their ongoing work and involving all three divisions of the School.  The world is changing swiftly and the demand for competent global leaders willing and able to work together to engage tough dilemmas of environmental and social justice is rapidly rising.  Waynflete students will be among those seeking solutions shoulder to shoulder with those whose lives are impacted most of all.

It all ended with a squirrel. Here is how it started.

I am Avalena Linsky, I am a senior, and I am an actor. I came to Waynflete in the sixth grade, and did not find my place until I decided I wanted to be in a production. As a nervous sophomore, I sang a very shaky rendition of “What I did for Love” as an audition. Two days later, I was cast in the musical revue. From then on, I made a point to involve myself in Waynflete Theater.

This year, just after The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ended, I sat in a meeting to help decide what the spring show would be. I had offered up America Hurrah! by Jean-claude van Itallie as a possibility, and when it was chosen, I was asked to direct. Of course, I volunteered, but someone asked me along the way and I accepted.

For two months, I worked every day with a cast of thirteen actors to create a show. Rehearsals were tiring but rewarding. It was incredible for me to see how my visions and thoughts turned into something real. I met with Tiki Fuhro, official project supervisor, Caroline Kyros, stage manager, and Chris Fitze, technical director, once a week to discuss how the show would progress. Each day, we inched closer and closer to finishing the task of creating a stage-ready performance.

On opening night, I was backstage with the actors, waiting to give my curtain speech at approximately 7:28 pm. I have never been more nervous about a show. Not because the actors weren’t ready, because they certainly were, but because I didn’t have any sort of control of the show at this point. It was a real lesson in letting go.

Two days later, as I accepted that this would be my last production of my high school career, I walked into Davies, ready to take on the night. However, the lights were flickering, and it was far too quiet for closing night. The halls looked a little bit like the opening scene of The Walking Dead, when Rick walks out of his hospital room for the first time. I found my way into the theater to learn that part of the electricity was out because there was a squirrel suicide. The furry little thing jumped right on the spot that knocked a good chunk of the power out. I sat down with the entire production team, and we collectively made the decision that the show must go on, as cliché as that is.

As odd as it was, I had never been more comfortable walking away from something. Even though the show was pushed back by a half hour, and there was some makeshift lighting for the first act before the power fully returned, and I tripped a little on my way to my seat, I was more than satisfied. The actors and crew weren’t even the least bit thrown off by the situation. Directing the last show of my high school career was an amazing leadership experience. As I  make my transition from Waynflete to Northeastern University, a much larger pond of fish, I am so glad I was able to share this process with the entire performing arts community at Waynflete.

For a gallery of photos from the production of American Hurrah, click here.

All of my life I have been praised for my capacity to write articulate stories and poems; in fact, I was voted most likely to become an author as my middle school superlative. This title has never bothered me; actually, it has always flattered me in a small, secretive sort of way.

This all changed as soon as I started at Waynflete, however, when I realized that so many students were exceedingly fluent in various aspects of their lives. Suddenly, my concentrated area of achievement appeared smaller to me as it was juxtaposed with other studies. It caused me to wonder. Could I not be an athlete? Could I not be a musician? Could I not be a scientist?

One Tuesday during my sophomore year, David Vaughan presented a slideshow documenting Sustainable Ocean Studies, a month long summer program affiliated with Waynflete and Chewonki. All I could see was adventure and hands on learning and exploration and…science. Marine Biology, to be exact. I immediately met with David and eventually applied for one of the greatest months of my life.

Sustainable Ocean Studies is a program geared towards students who want to know what ecological challenges they are being faced with, and why. Packed with hands on activities such as rocky shore transects, lectures, scuba diving, kayaking, rock climbing, dredging, sampling, and so much more, SOS is a truly unique experience that takes place right on (and off) the coast of Maine.

By the end of the summer, I left with both a respectable tan and a deep knowledge of marine life in my own state.In addition to this, I met people. With no cell phones or computers, I had the real, unadulterated opportunity to talk with people and learn about their experiences as fisherman, businessman, managers, islanders, and professors.

Now, as I look ahead towards college and beyond, I know so many things about myself that I never knew before. I consider myself a writer and a scientist, and so do my SOS friends that live as far away as Seattle, Washington, and as close as Portland, Maine. I encourage anyone who has never seen a porpoise swim next to their kayak, a whale break through the surface of the ocean, or seals sunbathe on Mt. Desert Rock to check your schedule for this summer and apply to three and a half weeks of pure surprise.

For more information about SOS, click here.

Each spring, with the end of the school year in sight and celebrations in the air, the Upper School administration and parent association leaders seek to engage the parent body in conversation about preventing risky behavior. After the evening with Geno Ring in the fall on parent/teen communication, we surveyed parents to glean insight into their strategies and habits regarding talking with their teen about substance use and other risky behavior.  This spring, we are engaging parents with this topic through the following article, which summarizes and reflects on the survey results.  

It feels familiar as parents to be constantly adjusting expectations for our children (much as we are all having to do with our hopes for spring weather) as a result of observing them handle each of life’s demands.  Our kids grow up quickly but the growth trajectory is by no means a straight line. Growth happens exponentially around significant incidents but is most often maximized during courageous conversations before, during and especially after these events or milestones occur.  Last fall, we asked US parents in a survey how often they talked with their teen about substance use and other risks and whether they would share effective ways to discuss expectations with their child. 61% of parents responded that these conversations happen around once a month and another 28% say they initiate the topic very frequently- at least once a week.  We share observations and suggestions in the survey data as another catalyst for initiating timely and hopefully mutually beneficial conversations.

Talking with other parents is one of the best resources in a small community as the safety message is strengthened by a chorus of similar voices. As one parent stated, “I am not sure there is one way. It’s like teaching, it has to be presented in multiple scenarios and media.”  While there is no best time, many said, “We started talking about drugs when the kids were in lower school. These are topics that should never stop being brought up.”  Another said, “We talk about what’s illegal, what’s immoral, what’s bad for your healthy and what’s just reckless and stupid.  We explain that we love them and want them to get through their teen years with as few negative/dangerous/destructive learning experiences as possible and we emphasize that they can tell us what’s going on…”  Words to describe the tenor of these conversations included “bluntly,” “frank,” “honestly and directly,” “casually,” “privately, with a generous amount of listening,” and “being candid and real.”

Many parents mentioned making use of the well-documented research about the impact of substances on healthy teen brains.  “We talk about sugar and caffeine as examples of substances that can lead to cravings/addiction and unhealthy habits but also have a place re moderation but we also talk about cell splitting in teens and why age genuinely makes a difference.”  One respondent praised the 9th grade film/seminar curriculum presented to parents about binge drinking last spring for the “Here-are-the-potential-consequences-to-your-brain-of-these-accidents” but said parent conversations need to go deeper and get personal because of the “yeah, but it would never happen to me” attitude.  Another described moving from a “cautionary tale” approach to a more curious stance, “What would you be hoping to get from the experience of drugs and alcohol? What might be going on underneath that risk-taking – ambivalence, anxiety, fear? and can we help you address THAT?”  If students express that risk is inevitable, are you providing an alternative viewpoint?

Regardless of the science, many say they make it a regular routine to “talk before parties and social gatherings” knowing that students may have to make many decisions about safety in a single evening.  Perhaps the most salient emerging research is on how teens influence one another in social situations. As one parent wrote, “I wish I could say that talking with my teen has helped a lot- and maybe it has- but it seems that peers still have an enormous impact on how my child acts.” Click here for a recent NYT article on peer influences that might help generate increased self-knowledge for your teen.

Many parents did raise how hard is its “to know if it’s been effective” when initiating talks. A survey by the pediatrician supported HealthyChildren.org states that more frequent messages at home reduce the risks of substance use significantly claiming “overall, those whose parents ignored the issues were about two times as likely to use drugs than kids who learned “a lot” at home.” Click here for more, including tips on what you can say to your teen. Other conversation catalysts included “sharing family histories,” “talking about our own experiences,” “bringing up an issue in the news,” “listening to their radio station in the car and talking about lyrics” or “witnessing the effects on other friends.”  Often teens will “readily join the conversation because it is not directly about them” but the information is getting across nonetheless. One parent appreciated their child’s sense “that they would let their parents and teachers down,” something they can only feel if we share regularly how vitally important they are to all of us.

Survey responses about protective factors that help teens navigate critical decision-making were inspirational and positive. “We engage our children regularly on how they would like to spend their time- then support those activities and get involved.”  “Communication is the number one factor,” said another as is “self-awareness” and “promoting in ourselves and in one another mindfulness, emotional awareness/intelligence, and learning how to work skillfully with our own emotional mind-states.”  One family reported the importance of their child “having their own therapist who he sees when he wants” has made a big difference increasing opportunities for conversation, but other adult friends and coaches can play a similar role in getting curious and “asking our kids about their “pretty bright future,” “passionate interests” and short and long term goals they are feeling excited about.

This time of year, whether we are looking ahead to the milestones of graduation, first jobs and volunteering for real employers, or other major social or family events (hopefully hosted in summer temperatures) we can count on risk-taking to occur as it is how we humans grow.  In seminar, we emphasize that there are some risks that are just never worth taking.  A key message, as one parent pointed out is “teaching that substance use is a distraction to a healthy lifestyle, an investment in time and a slippery slope that can quickly lead to a life long struggle to manage (Life is complicated enough).”   Finding the courage to talk may be the biggest hurdle, but when we do, a simple message that we care can be powerful especially when it comes from many places.  Whether or not the conversation goes “well” or propels us to totally unexpected places where we have to re-find solid ground, if we come from an informed, transparent, and deeply invested place – our kids will feel they are a vital part of the partnership with us in preventing tragic consequences during this time of community celebration.

Thank you to all the parents who Click here for a list of Chaperone Guidelines from the Hazelden Foundation.

A year ago Waynflete entered the LifeSmarts competition for the first time and surprised itself by winning the State tournament and moving on to the national competition in Atlanta, finishing 20th.

According to its website, LifeSmarts “prepares students to enter the real world as smart adult consumers… Students who participate in the program begin competition online. The highest scoring teams are invited to in-person live state championships. State winners are invited to the National LifeSmarts Championship held in a different city every April.”

Despite our success last year, we didn’t really know what to expect this year in the absence of a formal program that most schools in the competition possess.  Instead, a collection of recruits, led by returning team members Mason Saltz and Sally Li, huddled with Coach Kautz in the weeks before the state event to prepare and then managed, in dramatic form as reported in an earlier USNOW article, to repeat as state champion.  The team went on to the national tournament in Orlando, Florida, and finished 10th, a mere two points short of qualifying for the quarter final round.

According to Coach Kautz in an email sent from the plane home, there were many great moments in our team’s performance, but “Sam’s (Frederick) second place showing in the technology event was a real highlight.”  Another highlight was “when we really needed to beat Alabama to stay in the playoff hunt, and we were trailing with just three questions left.  Sally and Sam nailed all three final questions to steal a win.”

Congratulations to Coach Kautz and teammates Sam Frederick, Sally Li, Mason Saltz, Cody Tiparos, and Chloe Williams.

If you would like to practice up on your LifeSmarts, here is a link to the daily LifeSmarts quiz.

Now in April, 2014, we are confident that we are living in a modern, innovative, and enterprising age. However, the term “Modernism” was first coined in France in the 1840s. Baudelaire’s “Heroism of Modern Life” was essentially a rallying cry to a generation of artists and writers whose lives spanned a period of unprecedented change in the world order. The Heroic/Romantic age came to a close. Enlightenment ideals, and with them the promises of revolution, failed to materialize. Authoritarianism began to gain ground. Populations shifted from the country to the cities in a period of unparalleled urbanization. These changes ushered in the 20th century with its technological and scientific innovations, socio-political struggles – Colonialism, World War, etc. – and the shift in power and influence from the Old to the New World.

Such is the fascinating backdrop to this semester’s Upper School Art History elective – “Masterworks of Art History: The Modern World.” The course explores the history of predominantly Western art from 1848’s Paris, the epicenter of artistic creation and influence, to 1950’s New York, by then the new “mecca” of the art world. We delve into the environments that inspired the artists, explore their works as aesthetic and as a vehicle for social, political, philosophical, and personal expression. We also will attempt to explore the indebtedness of modern art to the past (Picasso to Goya, for example) and study the enormous influence of artistic ideals and principles from the Far East, North and Sub-Saharan Africa, and Polynesia.

In early April, we did ‘field work’ at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, whose collection and current exhibit on Impressionism dove-tailed perfectly with the focus of our class. We were graciously met by Katherine Getchell (Waynflete ’88), who gave us a private tour of the “Boston Loves Impressionism” exhibition and invited us down into the storage area – a veritable “Aladdin’s Cave!” Below are the impressions of two members of the class, Henry Johannen (sophomore) and Ellen Langford (junior) as they reflected on their experience at the MFA:

The MFA trip was conducive to the realization that art history is an essential field of study for those wishing to gain a better understanding of the evolution of western culture and the human condition. No amount of study or books could impress upon us the allure, grandeur, and majesty of seeing the original paintings in person. For me this was most apparent when I saw Van Gogh’s “Houses at Auvers” which had been my favorite painting; the intensity of the brushwork conveyed a furious passion that hadn’t been visible before. Seeing the paintings in person was a powerful experience, which I think everybody should get the chance to have. Henry Johannen

What was extraordinary and exciting about my experience at the MFA in Boston earlier this month was the impact of seeing the art we have been studying “in the flesh” versus seeing it digitally on a screen. The hues, shades, and tones were ‘true,’ fully expressing the artist’s original intention: evoking shifting moods through color, line, and brushstroke. I was excited to see Monet’s layering of paint, his building up of colour that produced such extraordinary effects. I was struck by the dimensionality created Van Gogh’s heavy impasto and vigorous brush stroke; we had discussed his “House at Auvers” in class, but I had not expected to feel so close to the artist as I appreciated the power of his painterly process, a power that was lost, flattened, by the seeing the work through electronic media.

JMW Turner’s “A Slave Ship”

I find that I am drawn to make very personal connections with works of art, and this happens when I am fascinated by the personality and life of the artists. I have grown to love Van Gogh, having read his letters about his artistic aspirations; I would have loved to be present listening to him talk about his art, witnessing his frantic yet brilliant compositions appearing before my eyes. Leaving Van Gogh’s works, I was determined to find JMW Turner’s “Slave Ship,” a work I had studied last semester. The power of his colour and brushstroke, and the specific and cruel details of the limbs and shackles of the slaves thrown overboard burst out of the work with a force and clarity that I had not been able to appreciate fully in class. Looking at the mounding paint, I could imagine seeing Turner working the paint with his fingers. Seeing the “Slave Ship” in real time allowed me to feel the full emotional force of this incredible work.

Mary Cassatt “In the Loge”

Having become so familiar, or so I thought, with the poster of Mary Cassatt’s “In the Loge” that hangs in Breda White’s classroom, I was delighted to discover that my love of the work increased even more by seeing it in the Museum. I focused deeply on the details of the work, especially to the protruding vein in the inside of her wrist. I was blown away by Caillebotte’s “Man at his Bath.”  The scale of the work was so much larger than I had anticipated. Viewing the piece at eye level, I now appreciate why this work was so scandalously modern.

As I made my way through the different exhibitions, I found myself evaluating the frames that surrounded the works; some were so overly ornate that they overwhelmed the piece and distracted from the painting. Did the artist ask for that frame or did the Museum make that call?

MFA Vaults

I loved the design and layout of the Museum. Every single section felt different, created a different atmosphere; I am still convinced that the French Impressionist section had a distinctly different smell, another assault on my senses. I loved being able to wander through the Museum’s labyrinth of corridors, following them to discover incredible works of art. If pressed for time, however, the labyrinth design, though cool, could easily become very maddening!  Our private visit to the MFA vaults was incredible, though I must say that I thought the vault was a little sad – all those great works that should be appreciated were “in waiting” in the basement. Those Degas pastels? I would love to see them in the galleries!

Visiting the MFA with my Masterworks class was a wonderful personal experience and a shared experience. Viewing works of art with my classmates was a positive shared, yet differentiated experience; I loved how my small group saw the same things, yet reacted so differently to them. I already am looking forward to a return visit to the MFA, which with any luck will be paired with a visit to Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Ellen Langford

Museum Epiphany III, 2012 by Warren Prosperi

The work above, which hangs in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, is a very recent realist piece and third in a series inspired by the interaction between museum visitor and the art. The artist, Warren Prosperi, said of his work, ““The Epiphany series tries to take advantage of the special quality of the Museum environment, where works of art and the visitors produce a powerful dialogue: between creative minds of the past and both sensitive and distracted viewers of the present. The Epiphany title refers to the sometimes transporting insights which can occur during that dialogue.”