In Silicon Valley — a region whose very name comes from the technology that thrives here — it’s not always easy for students who dream of jobs in humanities and arts. But in recent years, individuals and organizations have found ways to incorporate art into the Bay Area’s tech culture.
The students of Freestyle Academy of Communication Arts & Technology, located in Mountain View, experience a marriage of art and science in the classroom. Founded in 2006, Freestyle is a school that aims to inject an arts component into high school curriculum. Some of the school’s more popular classes include film production, animation, web production and audio engineering. Freestyle challenges the notion that arts education is impractical. Its curriculum teaches what the school feels are necessary tools students need to thrive in a society governed by digital media.
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Emma Polster, a Los Altos native about to start her senior year at UC Santa Cruz, is an artist who sometimes feels trapped in the Bay Area’s tech world. The child of two accountants, Emma said she felt anxious about her desire to get an art degree. But she moved forward, honing her drawing, painting and sculpting skills.
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