As student after student told their stories, a beautiful picture emerged.
At this year’s Outward Bound National Benefit Dinner, all who were in attendance came along on an artistic journey designed to capture the impact, importance, and inspiration created by an Outward Bound experience. If a picture paints 1000 words, artist Michael Arthur’s pen painted volumes during the evening’s discussion, weaving words into an artistic tapestry that guests watched in wonder.
Arthur, who specializes in “live drawings” of key moments, began to sketch on a visible screen as nine current and former students, including the event’s featured speaker, author Michael Lewis, took to the stage and reflected on their Outward Bound experiences.
As James, a current sophomore at Leaders High School, a New York City Outward Bound School and an alumnus of Hurricane Island Outward Bound School shared how the experience humbled him, Arthur began to shape the words into images to reflect the stories being told.
“One of the first things I learned was how challenging it was to be in a working environment with people I didn’t know, for 21 days,” said James. “I may have been the best writer in my class, but that didn’t matter now. There was someone who was able to tie knots I haven’t even heard of, and someone who was a natural born leader… For a collective, for unity, the solution is to be vocal, be assertive, include your needs, the group’s needs, and expectations.”
Samantha, who participated in the former Grieving Teens program, sponsored by the New York Life Foundation, and an alumnus of Philadelphia Outward Bound School and Northwest Outward Bound School, said that she discovered an inner strength she didn’t realize she possessed:
“During my rafting trip in Oregon, we had a challenge by choice, where we could swim out into an eddy and then attempt to climb up onto a rock in the middle of the river. I went second to last and I watched guy after guy fail to complete one or both steps, I felt my hope drain.
Nevertheless, I swam out and gave it my all, and surprisingly, I made it onto the rock. It was a real self-esteem booster, given that in my group of nine people, only two of us were girls. It gave me the confidence that I needed… It made me feel more competent not only with my physical skills but my leadership skills as well.”
As student after student shared their stories, an impression of their experiences began to take shape. The audience watched as the students narrated and Arthur sketched a visual embodiment of the Outward Bound student experience.
Students share their experiences at the National Benefit Dinner.
Michael Lewis, best-selling author of Liar’s Poker, Moneyball, and The Big Short, also shared the lessons he learned from Outward Bound:
On my expedition, I learned that you can never assume what people are capable of.
Lewis went on expedition in 1980 with Outward Bound USA Board Member John Pasmore and generously donated his time to work with our students and share in the spirit of their stories.
It’s not easy to distill such disparate experiences into a single statement. By the program’s conclusion, Arthur created this stunning ink drawing pictured below as a live reaction to what he heard over the course of the evening:
The finished live drawing by Michael Arthur.
The drawing sold for $2,500 at the live auction. For the lucky winner – and for all of us – it will serve as a reminder of the stories shared and celebrated that evening.
To learn more about Michael Arthur, visit michaeldarthur.com. You can follow “Inklines” on Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DrawingsbyMichaelArthur/.
To learn more about Outward Bound, visit outwardbound.org or call 866.467.7651
