Academic

“I attended GPA
from preschool to grade eight
and what I now realize is that the tradition
and rigor that characterizes
a GPA education is in fact what enabled
me to engage in more unorthodox means of learning
in my high school years.”
education that drove him to apply to Steinhardt
at NYU. “It’s a small, artistically, academically, and
culturally motivated institution within a highly
resourceful and renowned university,” he said.
FAMILY AFFAIR
As Spica buttoned up his high-school
education at Interlochen, he looked back without
regret that he didn’t take a more local and
conventional secondary-school path. Many GPA
graduates go on to well-respected high schools
in the area. Schools like Detroit Country Day,
Cranbrook and University Liggett. But for Spica,
even though Interlochen was kind of pre-ordained
— his parents met there and his older siblings
also attended — it was much more than that.
“I realize Interlochen is a Spica family
tradition, but it became something far more
comprehensive for me,” he said. “I would not be
the student I am today if not for the genuinely
unique education I received at Interlochen. The
curriculum comprises two high school schedules,
one academic and one artistic, which eventually
led me to realize how integral academia is to the
creation of well-informed, thought-provoking art.
After four years, I can say that what upheld my
academic record and my interest in the liberal arts
was my parallel study of conceptual art within the
studio.”
AWARD-WINNING ART
Spica’s work in the studio also has led to a
number of national awards for him, including
a visual arts award by the National YoungArts
Foundation, a non-profit organization that
recognizes and nurtures some of the the nation’s
most talented young artists. The award also gave
Spica and other winners the opportunity to spend
a week in Miami for workshops with renowned
visual artists and to experience and witness
performances by artists practicing in other
disciplines.
According to the YoungArts Foundation,
previous YoungArts winners include actresses
Viola Davis and Kerry Washington, fourtime
Tony Award nominee Raúl Esparza,
recording artists Nicki Minaj and Chris Young,
musicians Terence Blanchard and Jennifer
Koh, choreographer Desmond Richardson, and
internationally acclaimed multimedia-artist Doug
Aitken.
Spica’s work at Interlochen also earned him a
national gold medal and two silver medals from
the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, which
confers awards through its annual Scholastic Art
& Writing Awards competition.
“Entering the Scholastic competition was a
massive application process in which I submitted
over 20 works of sculpture, installation and video
for review,” he said. “The work then was evaluated
regionally by local cultural institutions — in
my case within Michigan — after which I was
awarded gold and silver ‘keys.’”
Spica’s gold key work was then evaluated by
Scholastic on the national level, which is how he
earned his gold and silver medals.
But awards and medals aside, Spica said his
career and life goals are a bit more concrete and
tangible.
“It is my hope that I can establish an
independent studio and practice as a professional
artist after receiving my degree from NYU and
during graduate school where I plan to pursue a
master’s degree in fine art.”
THE GROSSE POINTE ACADEMY / FALL 2015 9