Proctor's diverse arts curriculum spans more than 39 elective courses. One of those courses affords students the opportunity to design their own house. Brooks Bicknell, whose own experience as a builder has led him to design a number of buildings, including his own home, teaches the course in a way that allows students to set their sites as high as they would like.



Of the eleven students currently enrolled, each is taking the class for a different reason. Obviously, for some, the necessity of an arts credit for graduation first motivated them to sign up when scheduling with their advisor last spring, however, over the course of the term, an appreciation for the time necessary to properly design a simple structure has developed.



While many of the students in this class will not go on to become an architectural student in college, the background, appreciation for various architectural styles, and opportunity to creatively express ideas through an academic course are incredibly valuable.



Devon, a four-year senior notes, "During the beginning of the term we focused on the history of architecture and how around the world there are different architectural styles, not only based off tastes and individuality, but also related to the resources available and the purposes they were serving. As we build our own models, everyone's house is in a different location with a different style. This class takes what we learn and allows us to directly apply it. I chose to take this class because I am interested in architectural landscaping and hope to apply much of what I have learned this term to my own job someday."



Connor and Kyrel describe both their designs and the process they took to put their ideas into an actual three-dimensional model.



Tori, another four-year senior reflected on her time studying in Segovia last winter when asked about this term, "While in Spain we learned about the different architecture of the cathedrals and buildings around Segovia, and in this course Brooks has taught us about both the history of architecture and how it is used today." Tori added, "It's always been my dream to build a house on Cape Cod and now I've been able to move one step closer to that goal with this final project where I designed that dream house!"



Ryan has long had a passion for design, having completed two terms of work in the woodshop, noting, "The house I have designed is something I would actually want to live in. It is a nice open concept, two-story house with significant acreage. This process has helped me think through what I would actually want in a house and how hard it would be to create that design."



Architectural Design is a class that represents the true breadth of Proctor's offerings. The array of art electives offered (for a complete list click here) allows each student to carefully craft his or her academic experience around known passions and perceived interests. While this group of students won't complete their final projects until the end of the term, Friday night's art show in the Wilkins Meeting House is a tremendous opportunity to see all of the other student-work created over the past three months. We hope to see you at the art show beginning at 5:30 Friday night!