Spotlight Videos Feature Thompson Gallery Exhibit

Weston Media Center presented an inside look at the year's Thompson Gallery three-part exhibit in a series of videos featuring students, faculty and exhibiting artists.
Weston Media Center presented an inside look at the year's Thompson Gallery three-part exhibit in a series of videos featuring students, faculty and exhibiting artists.

How does an exhibit at CSW's teaching gallery impact the community at large?

Weston Media Center, the public, educational and government access television station for the Town of Weston, captured a behind-the-scenes-look at Nowhere Everywhere: three-part series of exhibits centering on Sir Thomas More’s nearly 500-year old literary classic, Utopia. 

The second exhibit featured work of Raúl Gonzalez III, bringing a sobering eye to the caricatures of a rich and well-established Mexican culture. Gonzalez’s exquisite drawings are balanced by a critical examination of Latin American issues including the “romance of the west,” Latino stereotypes and immigration.


Gonzalez presented his work and shared personal stories about his career at both an all-school assembly, and as a guest visitor in several Spanish classes. 

The feature segment encapsulates how Gonzalez's work was perceived by students and faculty, and they dug deep into discourse over the issues raised in his portraiture.

Watch the video here.

Todd Bartel, Thompson Gallery director and visual arts teacher was captured in this video discussing the third part of the exhibit that showcased the work of 68 artists and examined human perfectibility, dystopic societal issues and utopian potentials.

As part of the program, Todd invited participating visual artist Jennifer Amenta to present her process at an all-school assembly. Students had the chance to engage with her, and a conversation between she and Todd discussing the artistic process was caught in the second video by Weston Media Center.

Todd invited another participating visual artist (Kirsten Stolle) to visit several classes, and also have an impromptu chat about her work, shown in the final video.

The Thompson Gallery is a teaching gallery at CSW dedicated to thematic inquiry, offering three differing vantages of the selected topic, throughout the school year. As social justice is integral to the values and mission of the school, CSW looks to provide imaginative ways to spark discussion through mediums including gallery exhibits coupled with a curriculum that boasts a variety of courses to reflect the diversity of society and the world. Named in honor of a school trustee John Thompson and family, the Gallery promotes opportunities to experience contemporary art by local, national and international artists and periodically showcases the art of faculty, staff and alumni. The Gallery is located within the Garthwaite Center for Science and Art.

The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.