Quest Campers Spend Week Studying Science and Art

The reviews are in. The twenty high school students who attended Freed-Hardeman University’s first-ever QUEST last week had a great time. Campers in both the art and science portions of the camp gave positive reviews to the week spent learning more about art and science in a fun environment.

Those participating in the science portion of the camp processed a crime scene, including footprints and fiber, soil, and DNA evidence. Another session focused on bomb defusing. Art QUESTers learned about cyanotypes, digital photography and editing, pinhole photography, and self-portraits.

The two groups of students came together for some sessions and friendly competition. A baking contest had the groups making and decorating cupcakes. Science campers had to guess the measurements while art students had to be exact in measuring the ingredients. Both groups finished the contest by decorating and assembling the cupcakes to re-create Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” Judges decided that the art campers cupcakes were beautiful, but science campers won the taste test.

“I loved QUEST,” Ethan McLaughlin, a Chester County High School sophomore, said. “I particularly liked the robots.”

Caleb Cook, a high school senior, said, “Art QUESTers are a special type of people. We drew from each others’ energy and knowledge to inspire one another.”

Dr. Rachel Stevens and Dr. Barbara England directed the camp. “Our first QUEST was incredible,” Stevens said. “When asked what they would do to improve QUEST, our campers often responded they would make the camp last two weeks.”

England called the week “a great opportunity to meet the future of art through highly energetic and extremely talented high school students.” “Every time we taught them a studio process,” she said, “they took it and ran with it. They wanted to keep working with it, even to the point of giving up planned ‘fun’ activities to spend more time in the darkroom and with the studio work.”