On Tuesday, March 11, widely accredited pastel and spray paint artist Gordon D. Chase visited Belmont Hill, offering students the opportunity to meet and learn from him. Chase, who taught at Groton and Milton Academy for a combined 43 years, has a long background in both teaching and independent art.
Although Chase initially aspired to be a scientist, he lost interest due to his poor grades and the “competitiveness” and “judginess” of both school and his peers. It was for this reason that Chase, wanting to rebel against the norm, started experimenting with art. He built an art studio at age 15 and – after multiple years of hard work and practice – was accepted into every university he applied to. He chose to attend Yale, where he once again found his calling for art and self-belief when the university mandated he take a French class in order to graduate.
Chase originally did not want to take the class, as he had nearly flunked out of the language at Exeter, but he eventually changed his mind after more pressure from the school. He initially struggled but found his footing later as he exceeded his previous expectations, proving to himself that he could accomplish hard things with the right mindset and support system. It was this experience that showed him that he couldn’t tell what he was going to be good at.
After graduating from Yale, he was torn between attending graduate school and teaching, but picked the latter as a way to give back. He went on to teach for a total of 43 years, in which he became the Head of Milton’s Art Department. During this time, he embraced the theme of “art with a social conscience,” and after retiring in 2014, began to incorporate this philosophy into his own works.
After learning more about the social climate of different regions of the world, Chase decided to illustrate issues concerning humanity in his pieces. While talking about Jina Mahsa Amini, a piece depicting an Iranian woman who was beaten and killed for showing too much hair. In another piece, Say Their Names, he portrays men with names of wrongfully murdered black people, such as Emmett Till and George Floyd. He stated that art can be more powerful than words and can help depict a more impactful message to a viewer, which is another reason his work with social cause has garnered so much attention.
Gordon Chase’s lessons and insights from his art career were greatly appreciated by the Belmont Hill Community, and The Panel would like to thank him for speaking at our school and displaying his work.
