Why Visual Art & Design?
Providing students with increased exposure to the arts provide them with a greater understanding and appreciation of their culture, history and environment. Schools which promote the arts produce children who are more capable of personal expression and have higher levels of self-esteem. Studies have shown that students involved in the visual arts tend to outperform their non-art peers in verbal, reading and math tests-from first grade all the way through the SATs. For many students, the arts provide them an area in which they can excel. The arts are enhancements to physical development, social development, motor abilities, spatial judgment and coordination. Art is an essential part of a student’s education. It contributes to the child’s individuality and provides him/her with additional tools for accomplishments in other subjects and careers. Art teaches the student to think for him/herself and to carry his/her own ideas to completion.
Art education encourages students to develop physically, creatively, socially and perceptually. Art promotes creative problem solving which helps to develop the whole intellect. It can contribute to the promotion and integration of concepts common to all academic areas.
What can students expect?
Students will work with a wide variety of materials, including tempera, watercolor, pastel, charcoal, craypas, india ink, wire, collage, printmaking, papier mache, acrylic, cardboard construction, and mixed media. Projects are designed to develop and stretch their imaginative and technical skills, while encouraging students to take risks and experiment with new materials and techniques. Topics include instruction in composition, color, form, and line. Students also learn the basic vocabulary involved in discussing and critiquing a work of art. The importance of respecting one's own work as well as the work of other students is stressed since diversity is an intrinsic part of the artistic experience. Students study the works of famous artists and other cultures in order to learn from them and to learn about the connection between the historical context of artist's time and the work created. Trips to museums or galleries may supplement and enrich the art curriculum. There will be occasional writing assignments in addition to hands-on creations.
Providing students with increased exposure to the arts provide them with a greater understanding and appreciation of their culture, history and environment. Schools which promote the arts produce children who are more capable of personal expression and have higher levels of self-esteem. Studies have shown that students involved in the visual arts tend to outperform their non-art peers in verbal, reading and math tests-from first grade all the way through the SATs. For many students, the arts provide them an area in which they can excel. The arts are enhancements to physical development, social development, motor abilities, spatial judgment and coordination. Art is an essential part of a student’s education. It contributes to the child’s individuality and provides him/her with additional tools for accomplishments in other subjects and careers. Art teaches the student to think for him/herself and to carry his/her own ideas to completion.
Art education encourages students to develop physically, creatively, socially and perceptually. Art promotes creative problem solving which helps to develop the whole intellect. It can contribute to the promotion and integration of concepts common to all academic areas.
What can students expect?
Students will work with a wide variety of materials, including tempera, watercolor, pastel, charcoal, craypas, india ink, wire, collage, printmaking, papier mache, acrylic, cardboard construction, and mixed media. Projects are designed to develop and stretch their imaginative and technical skills, while encouraging students to take risks and experiment with new materials and techniques. Topics include instruction in composition, color, form, and line. Students also learn the basic vocabulary involved in discussing and critiquing a work of art. The importance of respecting one's own work as well as the work of other students is stressed since diversity is an intrinsic part of the artistic experience. Students study the works of famous artists and other cultures in order to learn from them and to learn about the connection between the historical context of artist's time and the work created. Trips to museums or galleries may supplement and enrich the art curriculum. There will be occasional writing assignments in addition to hands-on creations.