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Visual Arts

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The visual arts program teaches students how to strengthen personal expression, visual literacy, and disciplined craftsmanship through the study of the foundational elements of art.

From a young age, students learn the value of experimentation, and they try a wide range of materials and methods. Drawing is emphasized at every grade level. In the Middle School and the Upper School, students have additional opportunities to pursue their emerging interests with a range of electives and extracurricular options. Students share their artwork with the broader school community through rotating hallway displays and gallery exhibitions, and older students have chances to gain exposure through school publications and juried art shows. Our goal is to develop the crucial skills and habits of mind that help our students become empathetic, articulate, and curious visual communicators.

Lower School

The art program introduces young children to a variety of techniques, emphasizing basic art concepts through the study of the Elements and Principles of Design. The classes help students develop sensory awareness and build confidence in their skills. In each grade, Lower School students work together, sharing responsibilities in the studio and discovering how to apply the skills they have learned to execute their own ideas. Every child practices life drawing beginning as early as Class 1, and dedicated sculpture courses broaden our students’ understanding of working in three-dimensions. Discussions of historical and contemporary artists help students understand the contextual framework of their projects as the art teacher strives to make art creation and art appreciation accessible, exciting, and fulfilling. 

Middle School

Students continue to develop foundational skills as they refine their abilities as visual communicators in a studio environment.  Examining techniques, materials, and both 2D and 3D art processes, classes explore the possibilities of the creative process. Student participation in many different artistic disciplines is crucial to the development of a sophisticated visual vocabulary. Experiences with drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and site-specific installation help students better understand possible avenues for their emerging talents. They become proficient in understanding the elements and principles of design as they explore observation, abstraction, invention, and expression. Students in Class 6 take 2D and 3D courses that switch each quarter. Classes 7 and 8 choose between sculpture, woodworking, and 2D art classes, which each last one semester.  

Upper School

All Upper School students take a foundational Art 1 course to establish a common vocabulary and set of skills in a supportive studio atmosphere that promotes inquiry and experimentation. Advanced electives such as sculpture, printmaking, digital photography, and AP Studio Art provide students with more ways to broaden their interests and realize their creative potential. Students are encouraged to take more advanced electives such as sculpture, printmaking, digital photography, and AP Studio Art.  

Weekly critiques provide students opportunities for self-reflection and constructive criticism from their peers. They learn to talk with one another about their artwork and the work process and develop empathy for others through ongoing engagement with diverse thinking. Students are taught to evaluate artwork in the context of current art practice and the history of art. Dedicated art students may enroll in honors and AP courses to become more sophisticated practitioners of their craft and explore the possibilities available beyond high school. Upper School students must complete three semesters in the Arts.