 | Since its founding in 1930, the arts have held a special place in the School's life. With a comprehensive course offering in visual arts, theater, music, dance and film, Fountain Valley is a school full of opportunities and inspirations for creative minds. Because of the School's ties to the early history of Colorado Springs, it's only natural that there has been a symbiotic art relationship between the city and its only boarding school. For instance, the School's first art master, Boardman Robinson, taught at FVS for many years and was also one of the founders of the Broadmoor Art Academy, now the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.
Students interested in art at FVS have many opportunities and great facilities in which to explore their talents. William Thayer Tutt Arts Center (Art Barn), the Performing Arts Center, as well as the Kitson Music Room and a digital studio located in Hawley Library are dedicated facilities for FVS arts students.
Walk into the Art Barn at any time to see works displayed by current
studios. Displays show off jewelry made in metalsmithing classes, vases
and bowls made in ceramics classes, photography and unique visual
presentations. Two floors of work space, including a darkroom, allow
students plenty of space to turn their visions into reality.
The Art Barn is among the most unique and impressive high school arts facilities in the country. Very few buildings on campus have gone through such a drastic transformation. In its lifetime, the building has gone from a horse/hay barn to house science classes, a basketball court, and later arts, music studios and a theater.
A major renovation in 1990 has transformed this building into an impressive facility housing visual arts studios and The Bedford Gallery. The gallery, named in honor of alumni parents Kit and Peter Bedford, hosts student art exhibits, annual exhibits by professional artists and an alumni art exhibit.
The Performing Arts Center is a black box-style theater that houses all three yearly theater productions. Students not only perform in the productions, they also build sets. For the School's production of "The Nerd" in October 2007, students transformed the theater into the living room of an early 1980s house and played in front of fellow classmates, faculty, alumni and members of the local community.
With the addition of dance in 2007, students also have a separate area to try out ballet, jazz, modern and hip-hop styles in a freestanding dance room on campus.
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"I came here knowing that I wanted a personal arts program, I wanted to play soccer and swim, and that academically I wanted a challenge. I'm ecstatic to have a place like the Art Barn; I spend hours in the pottery studio and in the painting studio." -Addie, Senior, lettered in three varsity sports, completed AP portfolio in 2-D and 3-D art. |
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