The Fine Arts Extravaganza (FAE) is an annual celebration held in the month of May, dedicated to the art, theater, and music departments of Brookfield Central. On this day, the entire school is able to recognize and celebrate the talents of the art and music students.

Events of the day include art tours around the school given by fine arts students and various fine arts activities during which students can teach and interact with other students and faculty members. These activities include music concerts and performances, interactive art tutorials, and question and answer sessions; however, activities can be added each year to enrich the festival.

Teachers are given a list of the day’s opportunities and are able to sign up for certain time slots for the activities. In addition to the visiual arts activities, various theater and music performances are offered. In the midst of the day’s events, there is a duct tape dress competition between teams of students. Students design and create wearable dresses out of duct tape for a fellow team member to model.

At the end of the day, there is a school-wide assembly where the fine arts teachers recognize the students who received awards for their pieces and the music ensembles of BC showcase their hard work and dedication to their departments. Also at the assembly, the school watches and judges the duct tape fashion show.

At last year’s assembly, various teachers recreated their favorite paintings. Most memorably, Ms. Susan Veeder recreated “Ophelia” by John Everett Millias by submerging herself in the Brookfield Central pond.

“We try to engage the whole school in these activities,” said Ms. Christine Capriolo, the art department chair and founder of the FAE. “When I started here in Brookfield in 2002, I noticed that there weren’t any celebrations for the arts. The high schools I had been to before celebrated the arts regularly. I spoke to a group of music and theatre teachers, and suggested that we have a day dedicated to the fine arts. I made this day up 12 years ago. It started small and now it is a huge event. It grows and expands every year.”

When asked why this event was important, Ms. Capriolo said, “I think a lot of schools do a great job of celebrating athletics. While homecoming is primarily a dance, the homecoming football games get a lot of recognition. This isn’t to say that the athletics aren’t important or shouldn’t be recognized, but it is important to show that every student has accomplishments and talents that should be recognized.”

“Everyone participates in at least one activity, which is good to have, because they can connect with the BC community,” said Ms. Capriolo. Works of the fine arts students are saved all year to be showcased for the extravaganza. “It means a lot to the art and music students who appreciate being in the spotlight. They like being recognized.”

The 12th annual Fine Arts Extravaganza will take place May 27 this year. This year’s collection will consist of ceramics, metal work, drawing, printmaking, and several other mediums. Some of the day’s events include Metals II and Painting II classes that will teach techniques and special tips relevant to their studies. T-shirts for the event will be available for sale.

“An entire year of planning goes into this one day,” said Ms. Capriolo. “From the end of last year’s extravaganza, the planning began for the following year. All year, we are constantly planning and preparing for the Fine Arts Extravaganza.”