Greetings from the multi-venue Ignatian Center for the Arts, an exciting place in our teaching community where dreams and notions are turned into reality.
The Center is a bustling place every day. You can walk through the open-air halls at any time, and the sounds of creativity at work can be heard. In one classroom, a student’s loud voice may be reciting a monologue; next door, the music history teacher will be sharing the virtuosity of a Nineteenth Century violin concerto with sixth graders. In front of the music room, a raucous mixture of trumpet, saxophone and flute sounds coupled with the rattling of snare drums, tell us that the Belen Jazz Band is tuning up for practice. In the neighboring Art Studio, silence prevails. Through the broad glass window we notice that, inside, all eyes are focused on an oddly lit centerpiece of cubes, cones and pyramids which rookie hands attempt to draw. The film production lab is behind the Art Studio. However, open its side-door and within, a dozen students facing computers are editing film and sound tracks; others are discussing the work of masters such as Billy Wilder. We walk a little further and the lull is quickly broken by the din of electric drills and saws. The stagecraft class is already building the enormous wooden frames that will be covered with canvas and painted to be transformed into the walls of the asylum in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Belen’s dramatic production scheduled for the Roca Theater this October. Take a few more strides and open a side door in the Roca Theater. Peak inside and you might find one of the drama teachers working with a choreographer; they are taking the first steps, very early, in preparation for the school’s ambitious Spring 2010 production of the musical West Side Story. Finally, should you cross in front of the large glass doors of the Saladrigas Art Gallery, you might see noted Cuban sculptor Tony López measuring the floor space as he designs his upcoming November exhibition.
Such is the ambience of our work at the I.C.A. In this arts complex, a dynamic team of men and women, who are passionate about their individual professions and love to teach, give students their best and work wonders. And yet, the Center is nothing more than a place where the Ignatian Magis is our daily fare, for we are never complacent. We never cease to grow, not always in quantity, but consistently in quality and achievement. At the Ignatian Center, the bar is always placed higher and we constantly challenge ourselves to make the jump. The results are, more often than not, magnificent.
Mr. Leopoldo B. Nuñez
Director - Ignatian Center for the Arts
August 2009