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Arts

The arts are central to student life at Avenues, both in and outside the classroom. Visual art, music and drama are emphasized not only as means of self-expression but also, critically, of building community. For inspiration, our students needn’t go far. Our campus proudly absorbs and reflects the incomparable artistic vibrancy of the Chelsea neighborhood, with passionate faculty, spacious facilities and ample resources devoted to the pursuit of the arts at Avenues.

Early Learning Center (ELC)

Nursery and Pre-K
Art and music are woven into daily activities, including World Course units, circle time and creative play.

Kindergarten
+ Art in target language (Mandarin or Spanish)
+ Music in target language (Mandarin or Spanish)
+ Dance
+ Performing for peers in regular assemblies

Lower Division

Art
+ Painting
+ Drawing
+ Collage
+ Ceramics
+ Construction
+ Printmaking

Music
+ Choral singing
+ Percussion
+ Recorders
+ Xylophones
+ Glockenspiels
+ Instrumental music

Middle Grades (6-8)

Art
+ Principles and elements of art
+ Materials and methods
+ Drawing lab

Music
+ Vocal workshop
+ Instrumentals
+ Advanced ensemble

Electives
+ Elements of Great Storytelling
+ Playmaking + Architecture
+ Fiber Arts + Art History
+ Painting + Printmaking
+ Graphic Design + Creative Construction
+ Illustration and Storytelling

Upper Grades (9-12)

Grades 9/10
+ Introduction to Creative Process: Art (required)
+ Visual and Digital Arts Workshop -or-
+ Design and Engineering Workshop

Electives
+ Introduction to the Creative Process: Orchestra/Band + Music Theory & Practice
+ Vocal Workshop + Advanced Music
+ Musical Theater + Music Theory & Practice
+ Mixed Media Studio + Film Arts
+ Fashion Illustrated + Senior Studio in Art
+ Sketchbook Studio +Advanced Art Studio
+ Ceramics Studio + Sculpture Studio

Arts by numbers

14

Upper grades arts electives offered in 2024—25

15

Works by world-renowned artists on the wall

22

Music, theater and arts facilities on campus

43

Visits to art galleries in the Chelsea neighborhood

8+

Instruments offered in private after school music lessons

10+

Arts-focused student clubs

6

Average number of public music performances each month

72

Visits to the High Line by the Early Learning Center

The cornerstones of the music program are rhythm, student choice and abundant performance opportunities. We strive to learn through doing and playing, and seek to create community—both within the school and within the neighborhood."

Brendan Dolan

Director of Music

Two ideas drive the visual arts program at Avenues: first, that art is a means of communicating meaningful ideas; second, that students should be given the agency to establish a voice in their work.”

Kate Howard

Director of Visual Art

Arts Highlights

Anon(ymous) on Little Island

Contemporary playwright Naomi Iizuka’s adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey is a powerful exploration of migration and the plight of refugees. In fall 2021, students performed the play in an outdoor location that brought its themes to life: Little Island, a public park on the Hudson River from which the Statue of Liberty is visible.

A Deep Dive into Songwriting

Each year, Avenues provides students with an opportunity to take a break from their regular classes and spend time learning a new skill or diving deep into a subject of interest. In 2021, one group of students found a powerful outlet for self-expression in the art of songwriting, on a short course offered by the music department.

A Cabaret in Chinese and Spanish

Performance opportunities are plentiful at Avenues—not only in English, but in the school’s other two languages as well. This video tells the story of a glamorous collaboration between the music, theater and language departments at Avenues New York.

STEAM: Sol LeWitt Unveiled

Over several months in 2015, iconic conceptual artist Sol LeWitt’s Wall Drawing 528B was installed in the cafeteria at Avenues New York. The STEAM (science, technology, art, engineering, math) teaching team took the opportunity to design an exciting project for upper grades students, culminating in an unveiling ceremony that celebrated the power of the interdisciplinary approach.

Improvising with Larry Coryell

During 2015’s “Blues, Jazz and Hip-Hop” Minimester class, jazz legend Larry Coryell (1943-2017) came by to play a few songs and impart wisdom from his long career. “There’s no such thing as a wrong note,” he advised middle grades students, sharing knowledge he’d received from Thelonious Monk himself.

The Orphan of Zhao: A Play in Two Languages

The Orphan of Zhao is playwright Ji Junxiang’s 13th-century adaptation of an ancient tale of sacrifice, family and vengeance. A collaboration between the Avenues arts program and the language department, the ambitious production required its Upper Division student ensemble to perform in both Chinese and English.

Past theatrical productions

2016-17

The Winter We Danced (Mandarin and English)
The Good Person of Manhattan (adaptation of The Good Person of Szechwan)
Macbeth
Pullman Car Hiawatha
Cabaret: Travel and Moving On

2017-18

A Year With Frog and Toad
Spanish Language Cabaret

2018-19

As You Like It
Spanish-Chinese Cabaret
Mamma Mia!
Snow Angel
Snow White (contemporary adaptation)

2019-20

The Tempest
Spanish Language Cabaret
7th Grade Freaks
Les Misérables

2021-22

Anon(ymous) (Naomi Iizuka’s adaptation of The Odyssey)

2022-23

Upper Division Cabaret
A Festival of Student Plays and Scenes (written and directed by Upper Division students)
Dogg’s Hamlet by Tom Stoppard (directed by Upper Division students)
As You Like It (Public Theater’s musical adaptation)

The Avenues drama program centers on and celebrates community via the dynamic interactions between performer and audience. Throughout the year, we give students the opportunity to take the lead and create their own performances, whether as writers, directors, actors or designers.”

Alex Brinkman-Young

Director of Drama

Stages we’ve played

Student musicians from Avenues New York have been heard all around the city (and world).

Avenues Shenzhen
Beth Israel Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing
Cafe Wha?
Chelsea Piers
The Cooke Center
The Cowgirl Hall of Fame
The Cutting Room

Edna Cohen School, PS90 Coney Island
Feinstein’s 54 Below
Henry Street Settlement
The High Line
Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen
Hudson Guild
Maru-a-Pula School, Botswana

Manhattan Children’s Center
Mary Manning Walsh Home
The New Jewish Home
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
PS 372, Fort Greene
The Shed
Trinity Church

Arts after Avenues

Many of our graduates choose to pursue arts-focused higher education, and our college counseling system ensures they find an institution where they can flourish in their creative pursuits. Examples include:

NYU Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music (Richard W., class of 2016)
USC Thornton School of Music (Teddy F., class of 2018)
NYU Tisch School of the Arts - Film (Mingus R., class of 2018)
University of Southern California - Film (Finn D., class of 2019)
London College of Fashion (Helena S., class of 2019)
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) (Lucia C., class of 2019)
NYU Tisch School of the Arts - Photography (Ben K., class of 2019)
Fashion Institute of Technology (Silas L., class of 2019)
Wesleyan University - Film Studies (Stefano C., class of 2020)
Cornell University - Architecture (Jonathan W., class of 2021)
Parsons School of Design - Fashion Design (Naomi R., class of 2022)

Avenues New York

Discover the first campus of Avenues The World School, located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.

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New York Admissions

Find out more about Avenues New York’s admissions process and begin an online application.

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Careers

Find your future at Avenues: join the growing team that’s redefining K-12 education around the world.

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