My Perspective I always start the school year with my friend (unbeknownst to him), Jules Feiffer. He’s the self-deprecating, quickwitted, and arguably most widely read cartoonist/satirist/artist ever. I’ve pilfered his greatest philosophy and tried to make it the essence of what it is to be a Jesuit artist. To paraphrase, my friend Jules tells us that artists can paint the sky red because they know it’s blue, and that everyone who isn’t an artist has to paint things the way they really are or else people might think they’re stupid. Bold. Honest. Artsy. I have been a part of the Art Department at Jesuit High School since arriving as a freshman in 1999. In 2008, when I spoke to my fi rst class – without my predecessor and mentor, Mrs. Mullen, present – I was at a loss. “So Mr. Ball, what are we going to do?” I don’t recall who asked me this, but I do remember my answer. Full of Jules, it was, “Let’s change the way people see the world!” Loosely translated, “Paint the sky red!” Bold. Honest. Artsy. So I gave the boys some water soluble oil pastels, an oxymoronic medium, and we painted fl owers and birdhouses. It was a start. The artwork has since become more daring. The challenge to create, inspire, and change the way people experience the world is at the core of our department. It’s in every drawing, and every song our musicians perform, and every line our thespians deliver. At least, it should be. We are a small department trying to prove that our soon-to-be doctors and lawyers and engineers are artists. Or at least, they’re artists, too. We are doing well. Kevin Ball ’03 And we are poised to do even better. The new Visual and Performing Arts Center will be a godsend, and we are so grateful. We’ve always been resourceful and adaptable, happy to put in the time, squeeze into tight spaces, and make continuous adjustments so the boys can cultivate and share their talents. But not having to adapt or improvise as much, and instead expanding curriculum and teaching in a bona fi de art building, is an awesome new frontier. We’ll be able to showcase the wonderful work of our students in a way they truly deserve. More performance space. More layers to compose. More blank canvasses. It gives me goosebumps. It means more blue skies that can be painted red. Because, as artists, you can do that. Kevin Ball ’03 is the Fine Arts Department Head at Jesuit High School JESUIT PERSPECTIVES • FALL 2017 39 Kevin Ball ’03 (right) with Justin Sanchez ’17, whose piece ‘Rooster Fight’ was chosen Best in Show at Celebration of the Arts 2017 – and painted the sky red.
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