"Love Letters from an Inverted Cartography" by Terri Saulin
"Love Letters from an Inverted Cartography" by Terri Saulin is on display in Shipley's Speer Gallery from January 3 - 31, 2023.
In the "Shaker" spirit, I imagine a tiny wasp-worker making imaginary homes for important collections of most special memories.”
- Terri Saulin
Saulin’s process begins with cartography. The drawings and sculptures created are a visual "counterpoint" The layered information, produces an imagined, time-lapse view of a world. Inspired by the landscape of her urban garden, drawings become maps that document plant life, fleeting shadows, secreted places where mantis eggs were found, caterpillars ate, and dragonflies landed. They map the cold feeling felt in between the discs of her spine as she laid on her back on a freezing night watching a Perseid Meteor shower.
Intricate ceramic constructions are three-dimensional memory maps. They are invisible cities, liminal urban planning, and love letters to treasured and influential authors, artists, musicians, friends, and family members. A mise en place of ingredients float between surface decoration and building blocks. They are carrots, onions and celery and they are meditations on the thousands of loops her mother made while crocheting piles of blankets, wondering what thoughts may have passed under the weight of each accumulated stitch.
Terri Saulin received her MFA from the University of the Arts and her BFA from Moore College of Art and Design. She is a member and press coordinator for Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Philadelphia and a Member/Supporter of The Clay Studio, Philadelphia. She currently teaches a variety of Ceramics and Studio Art courses at The Agnes Irwin School, in Rosemont, PA. Terri is the owner of No. 5 Butchie Alley. No. 5 Butchie Alley is an outgrowth of Terri’s studio. The gallery space is secretly tucked away on a small easement in South Philly that opens into a garden of inspiration. No. 5 Butchie Alley offers a new exhibition approximately every two months. The exhibiting artist gathers with the community and shares a workshop during the run of the show.
Shipley's Upper School Boys' and Girls' Varsity Squash teams competed at the National Squash Championships in Philadelphia, finishing 34th and 64th in the country, respectively.
Since Dr. Roberta Brandao’s arrival to chair Shipley’s STEAM department in the fall of 2022, she has created a learning environment that fosters creativity, provides relevance, and pushes students to think critically. Learn more about Dr. Brandao's approach and how she makes students feel comfortable about taking creative risks.
This year’s Upper School Spring Musical is Mean Girls, a modern adaptation of the classic movie from 2004. Shipley theater star and Beacon writer Colin Harkins ’23 tells us why audiences should be excited to see the show March 2-4, 2023 in Riely Theatre.
Shipley’s theater program is excited to announce that it will partner with Broadway Green Alliance, a corporation that tries to bring more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices into theaters all around the country. Read more in this article originally published in the Beacon student newspaper.
View a performance of the Lunar New Year Overture by Shipley's Chamber Orchestra, in an arrangement by Richard Liu ’25 and Bambi Tang ’23, and conducted by Mr. Jhonnatan Mata. The performance was organized by the Asian Student Alliance and the Chamber Orchestra in celebration of Lantern Festival, or the end of Lunar New Year.
After an extensive international search, Head of School Michael G. Turner announced the appointment of Chantra Reinman as Shipley’s next Head of Middle School, effective July 1, 2023.
In the Lower School Student Council, fourth and fifth graders hone leadership skills like collaboration, public speaking, and planning as they help with divisional assemblies and other student-led initiatives, while serving as student representatives at admissions events and more. Though the group is diverse, they all have one thing in common: a desire to give back to Shipley.
Shipley's Middle School Boys' and Girls' Squash teams competed at the National Squash Championships in Philadelphia, finishing ninth and 20th, respectively.
Congratulations to Shipley senior Zion Alexis ’23 for receiving numerous awards in the 2023 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, presented by Philadelphia Writing Project, including a Gold Key for his poem, "black boy, PREP SCHOOL." Read the poem and learn more about Zion, his interest in creative expression, and how Shipley has pushed him to grow as a writer in this Q&A.
Head of School Michael Turner announced that Rebekah Adens will be Shipley’s next Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, effective July 1, 2023.
Middle School science teacher Ace Schwarz was one of 10 educators selected to participate in the 2023 NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP), which partners small groups of educators with a research astronomer for original, year-long, authentic research projects.
On Saturday, December 3, Shipley’s Upper School Science Olympiad team participated in the 2nd Annual Dick Smith Memorial Invitational. Competing in the B Division, Shipley’s Upper School team finished 31 out of 74 teams. Several students also placed in individual events.
Chess team members Srijan Velamuri ’23 and Adithi Srinivasan ’25 earned first and second places, respectively, at the Interscholastic Chess Tournament, hosted by Shipley on December 9, 2022.
What happens when you combine passion, professional learning, and appreciation of beauty and excellence? You get a teacher who brings enthusiasm and energy to her classroom and students who learn while doing. Learn more about how Middle School Latin teacher Anne Smith shares her passion for mosaics, Roman history, and the Latin language with her students through multiple modalities.
Dr. Harley Givler asked his third grade students to imagine what a storybook's characters would sound like as a musical composition. The third graders performed the composition for their PreK Book Buddies, sharing lessons in emotions, tolerance, and being an upstander, as well as inspiring a love of music.
On Friday, December 2, Shipley hosted the Philadelphia Area Math League for Independent Schools 2022 Playoffs. As a result, the Gators finished fifth out of ten teams in the group category and Bambi Tang ‘23 finished first in the individual category.
The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.