VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
Art is Essential to the Human Experience
O’Dowd’s robust arts program is a creative oasis for students to develop their unique voices as artists. Through visual art, music, drama, creative writing and journalism, students find their resilience, practice self-expression, gain confidence, build community, and discover their best selves. Our arts teachers are all professional working artists, guiding students to develop a technical toolbox and critical analysis skills that empower them to create art they want to share with the world. Our facilities include 3D printers and a kiln, modern rehearsal and performance spaces, professional recording studios, spacious art studios, and a black box theater. Students have gone on to nationally recognized arts programs, including the Rhode Island School of Design, the Pratt Institute, California Institute of the Arts, The School of Visual Arts, and more.
Visual and Performing Arts Faculty
Briana Loewinsohn, Department Chair
Briana Loewinsohn is a published graphic novelist who has been teaching at O’Dowd since 2006. A Berkeley native, she went to Scripps College in LA, where she studied photography, computer arts, painting and drawing. She is passionate about teaching art to young people and is always inspired to watch what they create.
Ashkon Davaran, Theater Head
Originally from Berkeley, Ashkon has a BA in Theater Arts from UC Santa Cruz and an MA in Applied Theater from The City University of New York, where he also worked as a professional actor. He is inspired by the many ways that theater inspires young people to deeply engage in shaping their own stories.
Fred Randolph, Music Head
Originally from Honolulu, Fred has a BA in Music from UC Berkeley and an MA in Music from Cal State East Bay. He has witnessed, time and again, how learning to play in a musical ensemble gives students the creative, social, intuitive, and intellectual skills to meet life’s challenges.