Three Nobles graduates with careers in the visual and performing arts returned to campus this fall to share their experiences as working artists. In small-group sessions with students, faculty, and staff, Harry Aspinwall ’06, Edie Carey ’92, and Sarah Faux ’04 offered moments of pause amid the busy pace of autumn on campus to connect, sing, play, write, inquire, and discuss creativity, process, and the power of creative expression.
Actor, screenwriter, and director Harry Aspinwall ’06 was the first of the three visiting artists. Aspinwall, who has been working in film, theatre, and the performing arts for 18 years, has been featured on ABC, The Travel Channel, The History Channel, Esquire Network, and at the Cannes Film Festival. During his visit, Aspinwall met with students from the Introduction to Performing Arts and Acting I classes, along with other interested students. He showed the trailer for his directorial film debut, The House Was Not Hungry, and discussed the filmmaking process..
“It’s so important for our students to hear from a range of art makers and learn about their processes and way of life,” explains Performing Arts Department Chair and Director of Theatre Dan Halperin. “Grads like Harry have a ton to offer our students, and we are so full of gratitude when they return to campus.”
Singer-songwriter Edie Carey ’92, daughter of former English teacher Tim Carey, was delighted to return to campus and spend time doing what she loves, in the place—and with the people—where she first discovered her passion for singing. Carey led a lively songwriting workshop with a small group of students, faculty, and staff.
“I loved being in the room, not only with the students, but also with the faculty who showed up,” said Carey. “I loved that the kids could see the faculty. I loved the vulnerability of the teachers showing up. A lot of the kids, you could tell, were like, ‘I didn’t know he did that, or I didn’t know she did that.’ That’s what I love about music and songwriting, is that everybody can be a songwriter. Songs are in all of us, and it’s just a matter of where you put your time and attention and intention. It was just wonderful. I love that there’s a community period where everybody gets to kind of step outside their norm and go do the things that they want to do outside of their normal courses. ”
Painter Sarah Faux ’04, who works “in a space between figuration and abstraction,” met with several visual arts classes during her visit. During the sessions, Faux shared slides of her paintings and explained her process, which is derived from her belief that the world is more complex than what we see. “I like to do this dance with the paint that I am using,” Faux explained with regard to her process. “I paint with speed and in an improvised manner, and then I try to make that come across with color.” When visual arts faculty David Roane asked Faux how she stays connected to the process, she responded, “To stay connected, it has to be meaningful to you—what is not out there that you need to see? Making the unknown known. Externalizing the internal.”
Mars Oliver-Martinez ’27, who attended both Carey’s and Faux’s sessions, captured the impact of the graduates’ visits: ”Meeting with Edie Carey during the songwriting session was especially inspiring for me as a songwriter. Hearing her talk through her creative process and watching how she shaped lyrics and melody in real time gave me a clearer sense of what it means to build a sustainable career through storytelling and vulnerability. Her openness made the session feel both personal and deeply motivating for anyone in our community who loves music. Spending time in conversation with Sarah Faux offered a different but equally meaningful perspective. As someone who also practices photography and is involved in both visual and performing arts at Nobles, I was struck by how boldly she follows her artistic instincts and how she talked about trusting experimentation in her work. Her journey showed me how pursuing visual art with authenticity can lead to a powerful and distinctive career path.”
Each artist’s visit to campus inspired conversation and curiosity during Community Time, which was built into the academic schedule for moments of connection like these. Aspinwall, Carey, and Faux showed students firsthand that with hard work and perseverance, their creative interests of today can become their life’s work tomorrow. The Nobles community is grateful for all graduates who take the time to return to campus, engage with students, and show them the possibilities for what comes next.
