History of the Arts

There is a lovely framed print of Bowden Hall as seen from its southern flank that hangs in a few scattered locations throughout the campus. With every brick and architectural detail accounted for, along with an outpouring of lush vegetation that frames the scene, the picture creates an idealized setting in which the six students pictured will no doubt thrive and learn and grow to their fullest potential at Cheshire Academy. The originator of this lithographic print was Rockwell Kent (1882-1971), one of the great American artist/illustrators of the twentieth century. A genuine hard luck case and also the nephew of the school’s principal of the time, James Stoddard, Kent matriculated, along with his brother, in 1893 to what was the Episcopal Academy of Connecticut at the age of 11 years. Though at times he chafed under the military model by which the school was being run at the time, he did write these words in pencil on the inner cover of the book he donated to the school: “To my alma mater, the Cheshire Academy, with the warmest hope that all who study there may prosper and be happy in a world of lasting peace.”

“Under pressure said the freshman at Cheshire Academy…” On the 2007 album Liberation, rap artist, social activist and impresario Talib Kweli Greene ’93 ponders the value of higher education in his song “Over the Counter.” Born and raised in Brooklyn, the son of New York academicians, Kweli was able to find a space for his creative impulses in the theater department and as a member of various clubs and leadership positions. “If Cheshire Academy did anything it helped me find myself,” he wrote in his yearbook. Upon graduation his contributions and achievements were recognized with the Senior Drama Prize and the Orville Prescott Award for Creative Excellence.

The arts at Cheshire Academy started out small before growing into the flourishing program we know today. In the early years, pushed to the outer edges of school life, the performing arts existed as a drama club and various musical ensembles, gathering to rehearse when time could be found after a full day of academic requirements and sporting activities. The orchestra’s purpose was, “…to furnish musical entertainment for the students during events given by the various organizations within the school.” By the 1920s, a math teacher by the name of H. Vigor Cranston began instructing a class in mechanical drawing, the first known visual art class at the Academy. A photography club was started in 1936 and quickly gained popularity and equipment, setting up a darkroom in the basement of Bowden Hall. Their instructions were to take pictures of the weekly sporting events. Plays were performed in the gym, dining hall, Bowden Hall, and even in Cheshire’s Town Hall.

Despite these lean times for the arts, interested and enthusiastic students were guided along by the steady guidance and commitment of several faculty members who kept the whole thing going. A huge moment came in 1935, when the school opened the Roxbury Auditorium in a building that is now a part of the Watch Factory complex. This exciting new space contained a true proscenium stage and could seat over 600 people. Suddenly, the Drama Club had a new home and a new lease on life. In the middle of the twentieth century, English teacher Terrence Matern brought a sense of stability to the theater program and was responsible for over 50 productions over the course of 15 years. John Corpaci, a venerated language teacher, kept the photography club viable and visible, with annual Mother’s Day art shows on the lawn outside of Bowden Hall. And, as the spirit of the sixties overtook the campus, student bands such as The Keystones took to the stage to spread the word. To end this decade of change, in 1969 and after 133 years, girls were finally readmitted to Cheshire Academy. The times, they were a changin’.

Memorial Hall Auditorium at the Watch Factory.

And then, in 1972, came “Zenith”, a three-day weekend arts extravaganza conceived, produced and directed by students that featured music, art, photography, experimental films, and a coffee house. In the spirit of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival, day students were allowed to stay the weekend in tents set up on the lawn. Musical entertainment was provided by Cheshire Academy’s own Apocalypse Players, The Incredible Broadside Brass Bed Band, and Fancy, along with the Quinnipiac Jazz Band. Faculty supervisor and English Department Chair, D. Robert Gardiner, explained that several of his students refused to write a final paper for the class and, instead, devised another way to gain credit. Thus, Zenith came into being, propelling the arts into the forefront of campus life for good. When asked what was the purpose of the event, Zenith chairman, Art Club president, and 2018 Arts and Letters Hall of Fame inductee Andrew Fezza ’72 responded, “To do everything that Cheshire hasn’t done in the last five years.”

Victor Bernardoni ’70 at Zenith.

In the following years the arts went through more ups and downs, most impactful being the loss of Memorial Hall, as the Roxbury Auditorium was now called. In 1975, Cheshire Academy sold its property on the south side of Academy Road and the performing arts were suddenly without a home. Theater productions were back to being performed in the Harwood Student Center, Arthur Sheriff Field House, Gideon Welles Dining Commons, and in what was affectionately called the Mini Auditorium located on the top floor of Bowden Hall. Of course, the show went on, with many memorable performances, probably none more so than freshman James Van Der Beek’s ’95 star turn playing Danny Zuko in an elaborately staged 1992 student production of “Grease” in the Gideon Welles Dining Commons.

James Van Der Beek ’95

Some might say that the modern era of the arts at Cheshire Academy began with the 1992 acquisition of the wrestling room in the upper reaches of the Field House by the Drama Department’s new director, Shelley Taylor-Boyd. “Spoon River Anthology” (starring Talib Kweli Greene ’93) kicked off the season in the newly renovated Little Black Box Theater. The Music Program eventually found a home in the Mini- Auditorium, as it saw its numbers and course offerings grow. Practice rooms were now available in the lower level of the Student Center and concerts would soon be enjoyed in the lecture hall of the newly constructed John J. White ’38 Science and Technology building. The Visual Arts moved about campus, from sharing the basement of the Field House with the athletic locker rooms, to a newly renovated Woodbury Hall along with the Language Department, and, finally, back to its present home in what was once the Middle School building. It is now known as the Cheshire Academy Art Center.

The arts have certainly had a rich and storied history at Cheshire Academy and the school has produced several well-known artists, actors and musicians. Today, we are indeed fortunate for all of the support the school’s art program receives from the trustees, administration, faculty and students. The arts have truly been woven into the overall experience of every member of the Cheshire Academy community. Music, theater and visual art classes have become a required part of the curriculum. The International Baccalaureate® Programme has infused each area of the arts with more academic rigor and a more inclusive sense of purpose. Each season’s drama production is viewed as a competitive offering, providing a creative alternative to mandatory participation in a sport. Weekly all-school meetings feature student musical performances. A vibrant rotation of visiting professional artists regularly show their work in the school’s Kohn-Joseloff Gallery, with gallery talks well attended by CA students. Graduates from our programs have gone on to an impressive number of the top universities, art schools, and conservatories. As the school looks to build a new, state-of-the-art Community Fine and Performing Arts Center in the coming years, the arts at Cheshire Academy will not only continue to play a vital role on campus, but will emerge as one of the premier high school art programs in the country.

Talib Kweli Greene ’93

Throughout all its evolutions and most especially today, at the heart of the arts at the Academy are its students and the positive experiences they have had, so much of which would not have happened without the tireless and selfless actions of the school’s teachers and staff working behind the scenes. Many memories have been made while playing a part on stage, performing as an ensemble member, or beaming with pride in seeing one’s artistic creation hanging on a wall in the school’s gallery. For so many students, the school-and the arts in particular-have helped them find themselves. Perhaps, Talib Kweli Greene ‘93 said it best, again from his yearbook page, “Thanks to the teachers, all of y’all are great.” If Rockwell Kent were still alive, and, in fact, a student at Cheshire Academy today, I think he would agree.

Rocwell Kent's drawing.