Dear Friends,
It is said that “art is the lie that tells the truth”. And in this post-truth world, it is immediately obvious that we need what art gives: hope, beauty, a reminder that we’re not alone in our pain, and joy.
Art is also about transformation: both for the audience, and for the maker.
When I first walked through The Academy’s doors nearly three decades ago, I was immediately aware that it was a place so used to being visionary and resourceful that it didn’t look or feel anything like what I thought school was. There was Shakespeare right there in the stairwell; a hallway converted into a theater, and a lobby that felt like my living room.
Months later I was in The Academy’s production of Little Shop, playing drums up on a scaffold at the back of the theater. I understand now that transformation of space — not a hallway, but a gallery; not a classroom, but a theater; not a school, but a home — has for four decades been the context in which our school transforms people.
We have shinier stuff now, and fresher paint. New windows, and nicer floors. But the spirit of what we do — transforming people through relationships with art, relationships with excellence, and relationships with each other — has and will never change.
The outcomes speak for themselves. I am proud to announce that the Class of 2022 has won more than $6 million in scholarships to the best colleges in the world, accepted to schools from UCLA and USC to Juilliard and NYU. They are ready to make their mark on the world in a stunning array of career paths, in the arts and well beyond. And, they’re following in the footsteps of our alums, whom you see and hear every single day, on the Billboard charts, on Broadway, on the New York Times Bestseller List, at the Grammys, and in Forbes Magazine.
While the money and accolades are impressive, perhaps what most importantly defines our alums is that they’re good people. I have never been more aware of this than in the weeks following the news that I had a life-changing brain tumor. (I’m okay.) I know that the love and care sent my way is a byproduct of the community that forty years of Academy students have built.
This education transforms people by harnessing their imagination. And, it happens because this community, fueled by our common passion, and common purpose, is “home”. (I hope you’ll take a look at our new video “The Academy is Home”.)
Happy summer, friends,
Jason Patera
Head of School