Art for the Ages: GOA’s Arts Council Gets a Reboot

By Chava Herniter ‘23
With its many student-initiated, art-oriented clubs, GOA’s students have demonstrated a deep appreciation and love of art, no more so than on the Arts Council.

An appointed body of artistic students who help to shape art at GOA, the Arts Council works to expand the impact of student art throughout the school community.
All council members are dedicated to the arts and leadership—each had to go through a rigorous application process, where they described their passion for the arts and the changes they would like to see in the school’s art department. While the application has remained the same as past years, the Arts Council’s structure was revamped this year. Previously, only two or three representatives per grade were accepted, but now any high school student who proves their passion for the arts can join. 
“This year, we also introduced the election process to the Arts Council,” said junior Sophie Fischer. “Usually, it is just a board of people, but this year we elected the President, Vice President and both Arts in Action hosts as a council. This allows for the council to be more organized and to run smoother,” she explained. 
Fischer initially joined the Arts Council to express her love for theater and all other art forms, believing that art is universally beneficial. She was elected Arts Council President this year, while fellow junior Ava Lane was elected Vice President.
“I knew I could bring my outside of school experience in theater to help advocate for more artistic opportunities and representation within our community,” Lane said. “When I transferred to this school, I knew there had to be more emphasis on the importance of art, and being on the arts council provided me with a direct gateway to collaboration, conversations and action.”
Ms. Mittleman, the club’s advisor, raves about the effort and investment all council members put into their work, noting that their passion for art makes the group efficient and self-guiding.
“I prefer to be there as a sounding board and to help them fine-tune, organize and execute,” she clarified. “I can help them shape their ideas and find ways to make them happen, but truly, the credit goes to this super-creative group.”
The Arts Council’s main responsibility is to plan Arts in Action Night, which will be taking place this year on June 15. The event showcases all of the middle and high school arts throughout the past year to the broader GOA community. This includes an art gallery, student publications, choir performances and dances and pieces from this year’s theatrical productions. The Arts Council is also reinstating instrumental music, with Shul of Rock performing- another benefit of the student input and leadership.
Fischer said, “We also help pick the next year's arts ‘season,’ or which plays and musicals GOA will produce next year.”
The Arts Council is additionally the perfect way for the administration to understand what students are interested in and passionate about in the arts.
As Lane notes, “The goal of the arts council is to create a safe space for art and storytelling where it is valued, appreciated and financially endorsed by our community. Not everyone is an artist, but art is in everyone.”
With a new structure and optimistic drive, Arts Council will continue to define and expand the arts at GOA for years to come.
“The ability to help the arts and GOA grow and change is incredibly important to me, and I want younger generations at GOA to understand its importance as much as I do,” Fischer concluded.