Darlington's fine arts department recently collaborated with local muralist and alumna Xaivier Ringer ('04, LD '23) to create a brand and graphic identity centered around the department's purpose to inspire students to engage their creativity and explore the benefit and transformative power of the arts.
Ringer worked closely with faculty members representing communication arts, visual arts, and performing arts to define the role and impact of fine arts within the Darlington Community. One of the elements that came out of this process is a new logo for the fine arts department, which features a curved movement, representing the inception and continuation of ideas that become art.
"I have always wanted to develop a cohesive mission and vision for our programming that really represents what we do and who we are in fine arts," said Kim Tunnell, director of fine arts. "The experience fostered team building, reflection, and professional growth for our fine arts teachers, and reminded us all how the student experiences in our classrooms influence the pursuits of Darlington graduates in the real world. Having an alum walk us through this process provided an incredible opportunity to make it more meaningful for our department. As a consultant and artist, Xaivier truly helped us evaluate and articulate how the arts play an important part of a Darlington education."
With input from students, the fine arts faculty coined a theme for the 2023-2024 season, "Art in 3D: Discover, Design, Delight." This theme will guide the community through a planned, purposeful and connected year of experiences in the arts. Ringer worked closely with senior Kathryn Wilson to create a logo representing this theme.
"I’m very grateful for the opportunity to help promote the arts at Darlington and to build my design skills," said Wilson. "I’ve really enjoyed and learned a lot from working with faculty and community members!"
Ringer describes herself as an international muralist, community facilitator and program consultant. As a muralist and development consultant, she is committed to innovative projects that empower people and communities to implement creative and impactful solutions to improve their social, economic life and influence their community. After graduating from Darlington in 2004, she earned a B.A. in government with a minor in studio art from Georgetown University. She has traveled around the world implementing creative community projects, most recently working as one half of Rome Mural CoLab.
"My first official visual art class was at Darlington as an Upper School student," said Ringer. "I was excited to explore my creativity and solidified my curiosity to follow the arts in some capacity when I won the Darlington art award as a senior. After serving as the art development consultant for the fine arts department for the past six months, it's truly a wonderful moment to invest my talents back into the institution that facilitated my artistic endeavors. It is my hope that the workshops I led, developing the fine arts identity, and serving as an art director will inject vibrancy in the arts with the intention to expand how we guide creative young minds, which is how I discovered my artistic path. Thank you Darlington for our partnership."
Click here to see the full schedule of fine arts events for the 2023-2024 school year.
