Creating in Quarantine

By Sarah Hiott | April 29, 2021 | Arts and Entertainment

The coronavirus pandemic has created new challenges for student artists by limiting access to resources and hindering the ability to collaborate when producing art. As a result, artists of all types have adapted their creative processes to continue creating art during the pandemic. The desire of Stanton College Preparatory School artists to keep creating has led to innovative ways to make and share their art. 

Stanton’s various aesthetics programs allow students to participate in visual and performing arts in school. Visual art and theater classes enable students to collaborate with peers and explore their interests with a teacher’s direction to assist them. Mrs. Carrie Santa-Lucia, an Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Visual Arts teacher at Stanton, presents students with a chance to learn new skills and improve techniques.

“We have been providing lessons that help students improve their techniques with a range of media, as well as offering them opportunities to develop creative concepts for their artwork,” said Mrs. Santa-Lucia. Art teachers, including Mrs. Santa-Lucia, have encouraged students to use their personal journals, projects, and performances to learn and create new art techniques.

Several new procedural changes in art classes have been implemented during the pandemic. Smaller desk space for projects, less critiques, and shared tools being unavailable has changed the way a traditional visual art class functions. As for Duval HomeRoom students, assignments must be submitted online, and the vast space in an art classroom is not present in most students’ homes. The struggle of evaluating art pieces through Microsoft Teams creates a detachment that was not an issue when students could move around the room to critique and compliment each other in real time. In response to the disconnect of digital meetings and the lack of people with which to collaborate, a new medium of digital artistry has risen in popularity for student artists.

“My artwork has [mostly] become digital pieces because it makes it easier to share with others in high quality,” said junior Myria Nabas, who is in the National Art Honor Society and takes virtual art classes. 

Digital art production has fewer material requirements than traditional mediums, making it optimal for virtual students. Canvases can cost anywhere from $10 to $50, and the quantity and range of supplies required for visual art makes it difficult to produce outside of school. Not only are supplies costly, but the amount of space available to produce art at home is rarely as much as is provided in art classrooms.

The issue of finding a space to share the art is a complication similarly faced by Stanton’s musicians as well. This year, in an effort to comply with social distancing, the concert, marching, and jazz bands added additional COVID-19 guidelines. Student musicians were required to wear masks even while performing, and those who play woodwind or brass instruments were required to cut holes in their masks. 

The band also altered how rehearsals and classes are held. Brick-and-mortar students usually rehearse together, while those who are in Duval HomeRoom must practice individually, restricting their ability to collaborate with the rest of the band. In-person rehearsals for DHR students occur occasionally, but they are only able to practice alone most of the time. 

“The brick-and-mortar and virtual students [sometimes] come together, and from there we have to work on combining two groups of people who had learned the same music but have never played together as a group and had the chance to synchronize,” said sophomore Ylliana Miagao, a Duval HomeRoom student playing percussion for Stanton's marching and concert bands.

The obstacles introduced this year go beyond just band practice. Music is based on rhythms unique to each student’s style, and a band has the task of working together to make them one, unified sound. Students now have to form a cohesive sound with others that they have not had the chance to interact with before. While this is a unique challenge for the members of Stanton’s band, Mr. Galen Peters, Stanton’s band director and chorus teacher, has remained positive about the future of the band during the pandemic.

“Band is inherently learned as an ensemble activity, so distancing is strange for us to do, but we’ve been making it work,” said Mr. Peters. 

Like the band program, Stanton’s theater program has experienced similar struggles and had to adapt to the inability to perform in groups. Though they are limited by physical guidelines, students have found new ways to perform. Mrs. Aaron DeCicco, Stanton’s theater teacher, has witnessed the creative performances that push past the complications of performing virtually over Teams and the lack of space available at home. 

“I have seen some students really spread their wings artistically and create short films that more than satisfy my assignment requirements, going above and beyond to tell a story,” said Mrs. DeCicco. “They have stepped completely outside of their comfort zones to produce some wonderful acting moments despite environmental circumstances and distractions.”

Some artists do not participate in the arts at school, but rather hone their skills from home, making their own music and art pieces amongst friends rather than classmates. Using platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Discord, students are able to keep in contact and work together. The love for art and alternative ways to communicate with friends can recover the passion for creating new pieces. 

“Using online collaborative platforms such as Discord, we’ve been able to create great songs together and work as though we are in the same room, even though we are miles away,” said junior Ansh Parikh, who creates his music outside of school.

Parikh’s love for music is shared by those who have used their art to decrease the stress of everyday life. This, however, can be difficult for those who have felt a lack of motivation in the last year. The pandemic and the resulting changes can decrease motivation to be involved in activities outside of school. An American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California survey from May 2020 found that over half of surveyed students are in need of mental health support. The stress of this last year and prominent toll of high school leaves little incentive for extracurriculars and hobbies. Despite the therapeutic influence of activities such as the arts, the time limitations and hardships of school can interfere with the desire to create.

“My artistry has suffered a bit because I have been less motivated and don’t necessarily have certain resources,” said sophomore Annalisa Strub, who is enrolled in Pre-IB Art II and a member of the National Art Honor Society. 

Even though COVID-19 has added new stresses to artists, the quarantine has allowed students to unify, experiment, and work on their art. With more time available and a need to stay home and do indoor activities, art is a ready activity for teens who are passionate about the subject.

“[Art is] always there for me to resort to in my free time to express myself and have fun creating with my friends,” said Parikh. “As far as the pandemic sets my friends and I apart, music is what brings us together.”

Art has been a safe haven away from the concern of masks, social distancing, and isolation. Even with the struggle to create new works, the desire to hone techniques and try new styles has led to new and innovative forms of art and collaboration. Finding new platforms to collaborate on has led to renewed teamwork on projects and new platforms for artists to display their work.