The upper school visual art program provides students with a range of opportunities to grow their skills and expand their perspectives. Ms. Aki Torii, who comes to Haverford from Delaware College of Art and Design, hopes to inspire this creative exploration.
“Hopefully, we can have more in-depth conversations,” Ms. Torii said. “Art is so personal.”
Ms. Torii will teach 2D art this year, but her portfolio is expansive. “I define myself as a multidisciplinary artist,” Ms. Torii said. “I work with anything and everything.”
As she extends this versatility to the community this year, Ms. Torii hopes to expose students to the vibrant art culture the Philadelphia area has to offer.
“I hear the field trip is not a struggle to get, so if I could take people out to check out the art museums and galleries, I would love, love, love to do that,” Ms. Torii said.
“This is like an artist’s dream.”
Ms. Aki Torii
Ms. Torii is also looking forward to the opportunities that Haverford’s art programs provide.
“This is like an artist’s dream, in a way, especially art teachers, just because of the amount of materials that are available and can be offered to the students,” Ms. Torii said. “That blows my mind.”
But the art studios are not the only elements of Haverford with which Ms. Torii hopes to engage.
“I really love the culture,” she said. “This will be my first time teaching all boys… and I’ve seen a lot of female youth artists. This is going to be in a way new, but my understanding is that everybody’s sort of part of the community, and they understand that and also know that it’s a privilege. That’s kind of neat and attractive. When I was in high school, that wasn’t necessarily the case for me.”
Haverford’s unique inclusivity of and commitment to artistic education provide a space for expression and creativity and allow students to engage across disciplines. “I’m curious about the wholesomeness of the students,” Ms. Torii said.
Ms. Torii hopes to use her role to foster that spirit.
“I hope that I can be supportive for everybody,” she said.
