At Marlborough, artists work just as hard as athletes, so they deserve a special moment of appreciation in the form of an arts banquet. Every year Marlborough students and faculty work tirelessly to produce at several performances. These artful presentations take hours upon hours of rehearsing monologues, building sets, refining triple pirouettes, ensuring correct contour and perfecting the high note. Artists devote time both inside and outside of school to better their craft.
Yes, artists work long and exhausting hours, and so do athletes. But the difference between athletics and arts is that at the end of hours of work, only the athletes get to celebrate all together as one community. Yes, I understand that the artists can organize cast parties and art gallery openings that unify participants, but it’s not the same thing.
At the end of every season, the entire athletic community (parents, teachers, coaches) at Marlborough gathers together at the sports banquet and celebrates the accomplishments from the past season. I believe there is such value in celebrating great Marlborough accomplishments all together as a community.
The School should hold an arts banquet to appreciate the many talented student artists. The Arts Council can plan the event, just as the athletics council plans the sports banquet. It could even be a potluck to avoid the cost of catering! The banquet could include a slideshow, speeches made by the head of the Performing Arts Department, Anne Scarbrough and All School Arts Representative, Mickey ’16. As with the athletics banquet, seniors could be honored at their last banquet for the years they have devoted to the arts.
Yes, after a tiring day at school, these banquets may be one of the last things on our list of responsibilities, but banquets have the power to unite different people. Artists grow from observing other artists. We can be inspired by learning to appreciate each other’s modes of expression. The School needs to make its commitment to the arts a priority, beginning with time set aside to appreciate the arts as a whole. These banquets are essential to the mission of the school because community is this year’s core value, and we should be promoting it in all aspects of the school.