Arts

Art in its various forms has been a part of our school since its inception. Frederick Gunn wove music into the early fabric of the school and organized plays for his students and town residents, which led to the establishment of Washington’s amateur theatre group, the Dramalites. This commitment to making art part of the everyday experience for students, and finding ways to connect the school with the community through art, is renewed today with the opening of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center. This beautiful new building supports The Frederick Gunn School’s Vision for Arts and Community and the continued growth of the school’s visual arts, music, theatre and dance programs. In addition to providing a place for students to develop and showcase their artistic abilities, the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center is creating opportunities to expand on new and existing partnerships between the school, local arts organizations, and the community.

Be Amazed. Be Amazing.

At The Frederick Gunn School, we ask students to learn to take public risks, to be makers not consumers, to be citizens who imagine a beautiful future without cynicism, to face failure with hope.

Vision for Arts and Community at FGS

Our Vision for Arts and Community at The Frederick Gunn School outlines four elements – Creation, Risk, Connection and Wonder – that are essential to each student’s experience in the arts.

At The Frederick Gunn School, we invite our students to be creators and makers. Whether in the visual or performing arts, students are asked to leave their mark on the world, to challenge someone to see the world in a new way, to express their perfectly unique point of view.

The arts also break down barriers for those who are nervous about trying new things, as well as those who want to actively engage in the arts for the rest of their lives. 

All students are required to take the equivalent of one credit in art. This can be accomplished through three single-term courses or one full-year course in our music, drama or visual arts programs. While the requirement is one credit, our students are encouraged, and often do take more than the required classes. The goal is for every student to recognize and appreciate the valuable role that art plays in our lives. 

Arts News

2025 Spring Concert art: Soundtrack of Our Lives
Gunn Music to Present Spring Concert: “Soundtrack of Our Lives”

The Frederick Gunn School Music Program will present its spring concert, “Soundtrack of Our Lives: Iconic Movie Themes, Music Masterpieces, and Timeless Jazz,” on May 15, 2025, at 7 p.m. in the Tisch Family Auditorium of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center. The concert will feature Chamber Orchestra, Vocal Ensemble, Jazz Band, and special guests under the direction of Ron Castonguay P’27, Director of the Arts and Music Director. 

Limited seating is available for family, friends and the community. No registration is required. Parking is available in the Upper Parking Lot with a limited number of accessible parking spaces directly outside TPACC. Please see the Campus Map for details.
 

John Lennon and Yoko Ono by Rowland Scherman '55
“Rowland Scherman ’55: Peace, Protest, and Promise”

“Rowland Scherman ’55: Peace, Protest, and Promise,” a stunning retrospective exhibition featuring more than 150 black-and-white photographs by Rowland Scherman ’55, opens Saturday, April 12, and will remain on view through June 8, 2025, in the Perakos Family Cares Art Gallery of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center. An opening reception will be held April 24 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. The gallery is open to the public free of charge. Parking is available in the Upper Parking Lot with a limited number of accessible parking spaces directly outside TPACC. Please see the Campus Map for details. 
 

painting by Anna Hesketh '28
At Kent Art Association: Best in Show

Cathy Yang '28, a student in the Technique and Artistry cocurricular program, won The Connie Horton Memorial Award for Best in Show at the Kent Art Association's 33rd Annual Student Art Show. Yang was honored for her beautiful ceramic work among students who exhibited in a variety of artistic mediums from six schools: The Frederick Gunn School, Millbrook School, South Kent School, Forman School, Marvelwood School, and Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
 

Mean Girls poster art 4x6
Gunn Theatre to Present “Mean Girls High School Version”

Get in, Washington. This winter musical is gonna be so fetch! The Frederick Gunn School Theatre Program will proudly present the fiercely hilarious musical “Mean Girls High School Version” from book writer Tina Fey (“30 Rock”), lyricist Nell Benjamin (“Legally Blonde”), and composer Jeff Richmond (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), February 20, 21, and 22 at 7 p.m. in the Tisch Family Auditorium of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center.

All shows are open to the public. Seating is by general admission. No reservations required. Free parking is available in the Upper Parking Lot off Kirby Road, with a limited number of accessible parking spaces outside TPACC. Please see the Campus Map for details.
 

Amplifying Voices card
Student Co-Curates Traveling Art Exhibit, “Amplifying Voices: Global Feminism”

"Amplifying Voices: Global Feminism,” a new student art exhibit co-curated by Stella Zhu '25, opened January 10 in the Perakos Family Cares Art Gallery in the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center. The exhibit, which features 43 works of art by 24 artists from 14 schools, including 11 schools in the United States, two in China, and one in Switzerland, will remain on view through February 4, 2025. An artists reception will be held on Saturday, January 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. The gallery is open to the public free of charge. Parking is available in the Upper Parking Lot off Kirby Road, with a limited number of accessible parking spaces outside TPACC. Please see the Campus Map for details.
 

Students at the 2025 CMEA Northern Region Music Festival
Nine Highlanders to Perform at Northern Region Music Festival

Nine students from the Gunn Music Program will perform in the Connecticut Music Educators Association's Northern Region Music Festival on Saturday, January 18, at New Britain High School, located at 110 Mill Street in New Britain, Connecticut. The festival concert will feature performances by the Northern Region Jazz Band, Treble Choir, and Mixed Choir at 2 p.m., and the Northern Region Concert Band and Orchestra at 4 p.m. Tickets are $15 per person.

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Rebecca Tu, Michal Schroeder and Heri Kim in the Visual Arts studio
Three Students Earn Awards at Connecticut Scholastic Arts Exhibition

Student-artists Heri Kim '26, Michal Schroeder '26, and Rebecca Tu '25 have been selected to participate in the 2025 Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art Awards Exhibition and earned awards for their work, which is being featured in the largest juried student art exhibition in the state. The exhibit opened Monday, January 13, and will remain on view through Friday, January 31, in the Donald and Linda Silpe Gallery at the University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford. Gallery hours are Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 12–5 p.m. 
 

2024 Holiday Concert poster
Gunn Music Celebrates the Season With "Holiday Overture"

The Frederick Gunn School Music Program will present its annual holiday concert, "Holiday Overture," featuring Chamber Orchestra, Vocal Ensemble, Jazz Band, and special guests, on December 17, at 7 p.m. in the Tisch Family Auditorium of the Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center. A limited number of seats are available for family, friends, and community members. Admission is free. No registration is required. Parking is available in the Upper Parking Lot off Kirby Road, with a limited number of accessible parking spaces outside TPACC. Please see the Campus Map for locations.
 

Calm Before the Storm by Bridget O'Hara
Three Students Featured in ASAP! Celebration of Young Photographers

Three students from The Frederick Gunn School have been selected to participate in ASAP!’s 14th annual Celebration of Young Photographers. Evan Bailey ’26, Peter Buchanan ’26, and Bridget O’Hara ’27 will have their original photographs featured in a juried exhibition on Sunday, November 10, from 1-3 p.m. at the Mattatuck Museum, 144 W Main Street, Waterbury. If you would like to attend the exhibit, admission is free but registration is required.