The Arts program at Sidwell Friends reflects our conviction that all our students have within them the light of creativity and can learn much of value from their own and others’ creative work. The program encourages students to discover, develop, and express their own creative impulses and talents and to celebrate the fundamental place of the Arts in human life. Through courses in visual and performance arts and opportunities to share their efforts with the wider community, students discern the historical, cultural, and social context and meaning of the Arts as they learn the importance of process as well as product. They learn to take risks, to grow from failure, and to strive for excellence. They encounter the power of creative energy and personal discipline through both individual work and commitment to an ensemble. Through these experiences, they come to understand more about Art as an expression of the Quaker belief that "there is that of God in every person."