ART
Kindergarten Art
Art in Kindergarten has its emphasis on the child’s own creativity and expression. The children can clarify and communicate their own ideas and values as well as learning technical skills.
There is an opportunity to explore and discover new abilities and to experience success in achievement and enjoyment in learning. They begin to acquire knowledge and understanding of materials and their behavior in different states and settings. They learn to understand the use of specific tools and equipment and they begin learning how to manipulate them successfully.
The Kindergarten Art curriculum is designed to allow the child to experience the following:
Draw basic shapes
Make patterns
Experience texture
Wax resist painting
Printing
Manipulation of clay
Using glue correctly
Scissor control
Color using paint
Color shading
Collage work
Make rubbings
Sponge paint
Paint with watercolors (both finger-painting and easel painting)
While in the Art Room, Kindergarten children learn an introduction to basic art skills, colors, gluing, cutting, shapes, form, texture, blending, folding, and the visual effects they create; painting, drawing, coloring, modeling, tracing, stippling, splattering and printing. The children learn to follow directions and share. They experiment with many media - though accent is often on the exposure to medium and the learning experience and not on an aesthetically pleasing final project.
Lower School Art
Art in the lower grades produces variable levels of skill and understanding. Listed below are the expected outcomes for each grade level.
1st Grade Art
Able to produce a recognizable object, animal and person; knows placement of eyes, nose, mouth on a face; shows reasonable control of painting process using tempera and watercolors, can mix secondary colors, knows primary colors, can easily manipulate clay, knows that a line is a “dot that takes a walk”, a mural is a large painting, rubbing a surface shows texture, can cut on the lines and on the fold, can create a mixed media picture, can discuss works of art.
2nd Grade Art
Can identify warm/cool colors, recognize and name magenta, turquoise, peach plus all the primary and secondary colors. Knows gray is black and white, can identify simple symbols that are associated with holidays; can weave strips of paper; advances to more complex and varied kinds of lines. Improves fine and gross motor skills when cutting, gluing, glittering and tracing; understands balance within a painting and demonstrates use of balance in own composition. The second grade child will learn to understand 3-dimension and can create 3-dimension cut paper designs. Understands negative space and can create it by removal of a positive shape or the coloring in of a positive space; learns collage; simple puppets. Knows diagonal, zigzag, wavy, etc. when discussing lines; aware of size relationship; can produce a self-portrait. Can produce a simple landscape, learns to recognize famous works of art and is familiar with abstract vs. true to life. Can follow verbal and visual directions.
3rd Grade Art
Begins to produce work that shows compositional factors of balance; vertical, horizontal, symmetrical, asymmetrical. Understands perspective as near/far relationships and size changes. Can draw from life and follow demonstrations. Understands collage and print making techniques. Easily uses scissors and glue. Can trace neatly over a line. Maintains brush and pencil control. Can mix colors together to create all secondary colors and venture on their own to create tertiary, shades and tints.
4th Grade Art
Builds on previous experiences and does shading, scoring, cutting intricate shapes, can produce crayon batik, can use a dip pen with some success, understands the use of the color wheel and how to mix all secondary and tertiary colors, tints and tones.
5th Grade Art
Uses all skills learned to create well balanced pictures, creates mood, shadows, perspective, still life, pen and ink, etchings, abstracts, self portraits, and can take care of art materials on their own.
MIDDLE SCHOOL ART
6th Grade Art
Students cannot always produce true to life drawings and tend to criticize their ability to do well in art. This grade level works on many abstract pieces to help them develop self-confidence in their art work without demanding good drawing skills. Cubist self-portraits, studies in monochrome painting, simple clay construction and use of glazes, masks, and oil crayon blending, positive –negative designs are all part of their learning process.
7th Grade Art
Students move ahead with their drawing skills producing life like self-portraits, charcoal lions, radial designs, clay people, yarn printing or block printing, pointillism, tempera batik, and works based on famous artists i.e. Georgia O”keffe, Seuret, Picasso, Andy Wharhol,etc.
8th Grade Art
Students build on previous middle school experience and learn advanced perspective using 2 point perspective, Understands pop art and impressionism and can produce works of art in these styles, can make a subtractive print, uses pen and ink with ease, can cross-hatch and stipple to produce shadows, Can produce a true batik, can draw with charcoal and use acrylic paint. These students understand all the elements of art can use them when creating art work. They need less help from the teacher and can work independently or on a group project. They are ready to move on to high school art at the end of this school year!
HIGH SCHOOL ART
Studio Art
Open to all high school students, Studio Art is offered as a five-day-a-week course. The program concentrates on helping new students get off to a good start providing basic new activities for everyone. As the term progresses the expectation is for experienced students to work on their own projects while new concepts are introduced to the beginning group. The course includes drawing skills, proportion, grid drawing, still life study, and ceramics.