'Au Plein Air' Brings Cape Cod to the Crawford Campus Center Gallery
In November, the Crawford Campus Center Gallery hosted Au Plein Air, a solo exhibition of paintings by Visual Arts Department Chair David Sigel, Hon. Created along the shores of Cape Cod, the works reflect Mr. Sigel’s long-standing practice of observing place through close, sustained attention.
"My plein-air practice is more than landscape painting; it is a way of seeing the world slowly, of translating a moment and stopping time without denying the subtlety of its hidden movements," he explained. "These coastal scenes hold a quiet persistence, an unbroken rhythm that continues whether noticed or not."
The exhibition also offered a rare opportunity for Sigel to bring his professional work into the heart of the school. "It doesn't feel strange to bring these two worlds together; it feels inevitable," he said. "I've often written that one informs the other, but hanging my work in the gallery where I teach feels like a true blurring of boundaries. I am eager to learn what my students have to say about my work and to continue our conversations."
Through his pieces, Mr. Sigel hopes to show moments of both movement and stillness, reflecting not just what is visible "but what is felt in the quiet hours of observation." He hopes students, in particular, will take something from seeing his process up close. "Maybe that’s what I hope for my students too; that one day, they will give themselves the time to explore a single idea until it’s fully realized," he said.
During her visit to the Gallery, Lower School Visual Arts Teacher and Crawford Campus Center Gallery Coordinator Meghan Cangi said that she was "transported to the Cape through his masterful attention to light, reflection, and detail," noting that Mr. Sigel’s paintings "capture the warmth of the summer sun and the quiet poetry of coastal life."
Mrs. Cangi used the exhibition as a springboard for student learning, designing poetry lessons that encouraged students to explore imagery, emotion, and time. Students considered how Mr. Sigel's paintings record a moment and experimented with capturing their own observations through writing. They practiced close landscape study, translated visual details into language, and crafted "poem as painting" pieces focused on light, movement, and stillness. Some even extended their work outdoors, pairing their writing with sketches or photographs.
To celebrate the exhibition, an artists' reception was held on Nov. 21, featuring music from Media Arts Council professional musicians Steve Perry (vibraphone), Jordan Berger (bass), and Gusten Rudolph (drums), along with Upper School Band Teacher Ryan Dankanich, Hon. and members of the Upper School Jazz Ensemble.
"It was a wonderful opportunity to enjoy fine art, live performance, and community," Mrs. Cangi said.