The Castle
Through this ongoing project I celebrate a pivotal influence in my coming of age process by drawing current day portraits of my former classmates from the legendary High School of Music and Art (M & A or LaGuardia School for the Arts ) in New York City. Many of us in the class of 1969 were motivated by the intensity and principles of social justice in the civil rights struggle, the anti poverty, anti war and women's rights movements of the 1960's. Those ethical considerations of social, religious, gender and class equity remain deeply reflected in our lives, careers, activities and beliefs. The High School of Music and Art, was a specialized school founded in 1936 by New York City mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia. nicknamed The Castle. The High School offered classes in the Visual Arts: painting, drawing, sculpture and printmaking, Instrumental and Vocal Music in addition to a comprehensive academic course of study. In 1984, it merged with its sister school, the High School of Performing Arts. This union became the current Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts near Lincoln Center. My fellow classmates are especially cherished by one another because of the unique cultural, humanitarian and artistic experiences we shared during our coming of age time during the nineteen sixties, a pivotal period of American history. A short film which includes interviews with a number of the Music and Art Class 1969 alumnae captured the attention of New York City's PBS television station (Channel 13). This film reflects the infinite possibilities among diverse people when the arts are the essence. This unusually cohesive group of extraordinarily diverse former classmates continue to support and advocate for the arts and social equality.
