Time Beyond Teaching: Faculty Art Exhibit

Opened on May 2nd, Time Beyond Teaching is Milton Academy's annual faculty art exhibit. The Nesto Gallery at the bottom of the Art and Media Center typically holds the works of featured visiting artists, and yet but this month, Milton gets the opportunity to see art from members of its own community.

I visited the exhibit recently, and was blown away by the works I saw. The breadth of the exhibit was the first observation I made, as there were paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture, ceramics, and even film. I had no idea Milton faculty had such a diverse range of expertise. Below, I highlight a few of my favorite pieces.

Having had Mr. Menneg for the majority of my Milton art career (3 years!), I have caught glimses of his artistic talent through his thoughtful guidance and teaching. I actually remember him creating this piece in class, as he lightheartedly complained about all the little bricks he has to make. Nevertheless, each piece was made so skillfully and with such care. He always challenged us to fight the boundaries of what is the "visual norm," and I loved seeing his advice in action. 

This piece was created by Larry Pollans. Mr. Pollans was the faculty sponsor of the Milton Measure, on which I was the senior editor this past year. In addition to his literary intelligence, I also knew Mr. Pollans as an art history teacher, and while I knew he made sculptures himself, I had no idea how talented he was. This sculpture immediately drew me in with its lifelike detail.

I only know Mr. Fuller by name, as I have heard about him from his film students. I honestly had no idea that he had an interest in other areas of art. Nevertheless, his pieces were truly impressive, especially this one, whose shape and use of dimesnion are eyecatching.

I was lucky enough to have Ms. Von Metzsch this spring. Although I was not as comfortable with two dimensional art as the other students, she always challenged me to think abstractly and in creative ways. Like Mr. Menneg, I was able to see her teachings in action with her work. The layers of this piece make this piece so multi-dimensional.

Time Beyond Teaching really allowed me to see teachers from a different perspective. I think the idea behind this exhibit is great—learning about faculty's interests outside of the classroom—and I definitely regret not paying more attention to this annual exhibit in my earlier years at Milton.