Sep 30, 2022
Voice and Vision is a structured Arts class that allows seniors at Mercersburg Academy to build their art portfolios. As a college preparation program, Voice and Vision also helps students to find colleges and identify how to further present themselves in the broadest and most appealing way possible.
Voice and Vision is meant to cull a primary or supplemental portfolio for college application. Sydney Caretti, Director of Galleries and the course instructor, started Voice and Vision as an official class about three years ago. Caretti said, “I love that there is a clear purpose for the work that we’re doing, and I like the title of this class because it allows students to develop their voice and exemplify their personal vision.” Voice and Vision is an advanced course, intended for any senior who “ …comes into the course with a fairly established working body of artwork and is looking to stand out in the college process,” said Caretti.
As an elective course, Voice and Vision allows students to explore their passions, and serves as a boost in the eyes of the colleges they wish to attend. Rachel Mallory, a college counselor who works with the Voice and Vision program, assists students by looking at their individual ability in art and using that ability to benefit them in the college application process. “It’s a fun way to continue art at a little bit higher level,” Mallory said. “They are able to explain who they are as artists, and what their inspirations have been.”
Hannah King, a student who chose to take Voice and Vision to develop a strong, supplemental fine arts portfolios for college applications, said, “I have been able to grow the strengths and skills that I may not have paid a lot of attention to in the past.” One skill King is looking forward to growing is creating a large painting, as she has never done that before.
The college application process is generally stressful, but with support from Caretti and the college counselors, Seniors such as King are able to compile a collection of their most representative artworks for their portfolio to submit to colleges, courtesy of the Voice and Vision course.