A Celebration of Human Creativity
Gerald Manley Hopkins wrote some of the most moving and evocative poems of the nineteenth century, having enormous influence on the poetry of the twentieth century . Yet during his lifetime, about the only person who read his poems was his friend Robert Bridges. Hopkins burnt his poems just before he died, and if Bridges hadn’t kept copies, all traces of this enormous talent would have died as well.
Creativity is a particularly human gift. In adult life we fall into the habit of thinking that making music, poetry or paintings is the preserve of specialists, but it is a gift shared amongst us all. That is why at ISA, art is for everyone, and everyone is encouraged to express their artistic side publicly.
Last week, ISA hosted AMIS - a band festival for high and middle schoolers. Students from all over Europe joined their peers at ISA to rehearse and perform the most amazing pieces of music.
On Tuesday, Stacey McMorrian hosted the latest of our lunchtime concerts - an opportunity for students learning instruments to enjoy performing to an audience in the more intimate setting of the black box theatre.
On Thursday, the Grade 12 Art Exhibition showcased the incredible results of nearly two years of intensive application by dedicated student artists.
On Thursday, our largest venue, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, was home to the Grade 5 poetry cafe - an explosion of creativity from every child in the grade level. Students took inspiration from William Blake in the eighteenth century to Walter D Myers in the twenty-first. They wrote about lions, panthers and komodo dragons; pop concerts and sports matches; and war, gender inequality and climate change. Each student poet confidently came up to the microphone to recite in front of peers, parents and teachers. They celebrated each others’ creativity, applauding their courage.
Hopkins had an ambiguous relationship with his own creativity, keeping it hidden during his life and trying to destroy the results before he died. At ISA we develop and celebrate all aspects of our humanity.
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