The current seniors at Branson had only a two-year arts requirement, but some stuck with their visual arts classes to the end. 

One of the biggest trends among senior artists is that they came to Branson expecting the class to be a one-and-done checked box but instead found a medium they really enjoyed. 

Audrey Knowles ‘24, an Advanced Visual Arts student, said, “I had never taken an art class before Branson … I wanted to try something new … I ended up loving sculpture and woodworking in particular. That was something I definitely discovered at Branson.”

Oliver Goldman ‘24 came in as a first-year intending to take a music class but switched to Survey of Visual Arts when it didn’t work with his schedule. 

“I didn’t really like it freshman year but I stuck with it,” he said. “Sophomore year, I took photography and that inspired me … I learned to love art. It went from a class that was an easy A to spending a lot of time after school.”

Logan Tusher ‘24 dropped art her junior year to double in science, but she came back to the arts for senior year. 

“I realized how much I missed art junior year,” she said. “I realized that although art is not a super academic class, it was one I really enjoyed and something I wanted to take again soon.” 

Katie Sugar ‘24 said that she went to visual arts to avoid performing. 

“I don’t like to perform, but into sophomore year, when I discovered ceramics and sculpture, that’s when I actually started liking art. I was never good at drawing or painting so I felt like art wasn’t my thing. But Branson showed me all the mediums I could use.” 

Bryce Sanderson ‘24 agreed with Sugar’s viewpoints. 

“I went in not super psyched on art, but once I decided that I liked sculpture, the class allowed me to grow a lot because I got to try all different mediums,” Sanderson said. “Even just this year, every single one of my projects I’ve done in a different medium. I discovered that I like it all instead of specializing in one medium.”

Julia St. John ‘24 transferred to Branson her junior year and had already taken art classes at her old high school. She knew that she liked ceramics but was excited that Advanced Visual Arts gave her the opportunity to try new mediums. 

“Branson has helped me have the freedom to explore different mediums,” she said. “I appreciate that I can switch the types of mediums I can use throughout the year.”

Now that they’re going off to college, the seniors won’t have an arts requirement to fulfill anymore. Even so, most of them are planning to keep the skills they’ve learned as a hobby. Some have researched studios around or inside their campuses. Some have explored what programs and opportunities their college has to offer in terms of visual arts — and want to continue to work it into their schedule.