Visual Arts
Lower School
The goal of the Lower School visual arts program at LCDS is to help students gain self-confidence as they develop their perceptual and technical skills and their appreciation and understanding of art. Lower School students have the opportunity to work with a wide variety of media and materials: from drawing and painting to ceramics and sculpture. With each studio experience their technical skills improve, they learn to be more observant of the world that surrounds them and they gain confidence in their ability to express themselves in visual form.
The lower school visual arts curriculum is organized into units. Some units are studied annually. Others are offered in alternating years, with interdisciplinary studies changing yearly. Concepts and skills such as color and color mixing, slab, coil, and pinch methods of clay construction, and the difference between shape and form as they create sculpture out of wood, found objects, or clay are revisited throughout the preschool through fifth grade curriculum. This overlapping of learning helps to strengthen students' understanding giving them many opportunities to learn and master these skills and ideas.
Lower School students also learn the language of art and the elements and principles of design. Students have many opportunities to expand their observation and communication skills as they look critically at and respond to works of art, their own and master artworks. They learn to pay close attention to what they are observing, and then in group discussions describe what they see using the language of art.
Middle School
The visual arts in the middle school at LCDS strive to foster the skills our students need to express themselves through their art and to become life-long appreciators of art. The middle school visual arts curriculum teaches students about their artistic heritage by introducing them to the work of many famous artists and artwork from different cultures around the globe. Through the study of these great works our students are challenged to use and develop their art vocabulary, build on the elements & principles of design, and learn the different ways to evaluate art: by its formal qualities, expressive qualities, and or literal qualities. Students also continue to work with a variety of media in both two and three dimensions, as they build and hone their perceptual and technical skills.
Grade 6
Sixth graders come to art twice a week throughout the year. The main goals for the class are to: increase students#&8216; knowledge of our artistic heritage, to build students' skills and confidence with art materials, and increase students' ability to express themselves articulately in visual form. To achieve these goals sixth graders look critically at the work of famous artists and art from many cultures around the world. They learn vocabulary (the elements and principles of art) to help them talk about art when they are asked to think about and find meaning in these works and in their own creations. However, this is primarily a studio class where students get hands on experience creating their own works of art. Students work with a variety of art media in both two and three dimensions. We begin each assignment by looking at the work of a famous artist or artists to see how they, for example, composed their work, created a sense of space in their work, or used symbolism to create a deeper meaning. Students are then asked to focus on one or two elements and principles and think about how they are going to use these tools in their own work. In this way they learn to think critically about how they want to compose their works and this ultimately helps them express themselves more effectively.
Grade 7
Seventh graders come to art class twice a week for a full year. We begin the year with the complicated but much liked "bike project." This assignment coincides with the seventh graders study of the physics of the bike in their science classes. After completing the kinetic sculpture project we begin our design unit. In this unit students are asked to solve several "design problems." These problems focus their attention on different elements and principles of art including: space, shape, balance, variety, contrast, and rhythm, and their role in creating an effective design. The design unit culminates with the logo project. Working on the computer, students design their own logo. For the remainder of the year, students work on a variety of projects exploring various media in both two and three dimensions while they continue to hone their design skills.
Grade 8
Eighth graders come to art class twice a week for a full year. While the overarching goals remain the same throughout the middle school years: to increase students' knowledge of our artistic heritage, to build students' skills and confidence with art materials, and to increase students' ability to express themselves articulately when talking about and making visual form, in eighth grade the assignments focus more fully on building perceptual skills so that they can better express themselves through visual form. Learning to look, see, and translate what they see onto paper. Students begin the year working primarily with black and white media. Assignments emphasize composition and drawing skills. Later in the year color and painting are explored and three-dimensional media are introduced. All lessons try to get students to ask themselves "what is it I want to say in this work, and how can I say it elegantly?" and once they know what they want to say help them hone the skills they need to create it.
Upper School
The Visual Arts program in the upper school features an extensive range trimester courses. From foundational two-dimensional and three-dimensional mediums to advanced studies, students are directed into higher levels of analytical and conceptual thinking all the while being grounded in the fundamentals of technique.
There is something for everyone. Students may explore the full variety of offerings or focus on an area of technical interest. In all cases students are guided into and through the unique realm of creative processing thus expanding their sensory perceptions and analytical capabilities. For the students interested in pursuing a career in the Visual Arts guidance is available. In cases where students are not pursuing careers in the Visual Arts but have taken many classes with enthusiasm these students will also be encouraged to prepare portfolios for college admissions as this demonstrate a well-rounded student.
Drawing
Drawing develops a keen sense of vision. Learning how to see and translating what is seen are the main goals of foundational drawing. Concentrating on drawing from life, such as still life, figure, and landscape students hone observational skills. Gaining confidence in these skills, students are then moved to consider compositional arrangement as well as the expressive qualities of the essential language of art, the Elements and Principles of design. The ultimate goals are to advance sensory perceptions, analytical thinking, and conceptual processing through the language and history of visual art.
Lessons concentrate students' focus on the translation of edges, structure, and the fall of light, which become line, shape and value. These Elements of Design are then composed with an emphasis on movement, balance, contrast to name a few of the Principles of Design
Painting
Painting develops a keen sense of the perception of color and value. Students explore basic watercolor and acrylic painting techniques as they learn to see and translate objects into pieces of color. Compositional and design skills are advanced with each painting as students work through thumbnail sketches to find and create an interesting arrangement of shapes: in other words, a strong composition. Viewing work by master artists assists students in learning to see and translate their subject.
Lessons focus on painting techniques, color properties and their mixing, and translating skills. The Elements And Principles of Design are the essential language of visual art. Students use them to translate the fall of light, both warm and cool, which creates the illusion of form. Additionally students may explore the Elements and Principles in a purely expressive and non-objective use.
Printmaking
Printmaking develops a keen sense of visual relationships. Printmaking advances design skills. Students explore a variety of printmaking techniques such as dry point etching (intaglio), monotype, collagraph (relief), and reduction linoleum relief printing. Students work primarily in an abstract or non-objective format. With their focus being on the creative use of the Elements and Principles of Design students' learn the power of visual expression without having to rely on specific subject matter. These processes involve high analytical thinking as students first must design their composition and then are continually making design decisions during the entire process.
Lessons focus on compositional design followed by plate development. For each printmaking technique there is a different type of plate to create from which the prints are "pulled". Pulled prints can then be hand-colored with watercolor and /or colored pencil or they can stand on their own. From each plate many prints can be created. Editions of 8 to 10 prints are finalized per plate.
Design
Design develops heightened awareness of visual relationships. A visual artists' tools are the Elements of Design: line, shape, color, texture, value, space, and form. Design projects focus on using the "tools" to explore the use of the Design Principles: balance, pattern, movement, repetition, emphasis, rhythm, unity, and contrast. Students work primarily in an abstract or non-objective format to hone their design skills.
Lessons focus on finding and creating visual relationships. Relationships may be in color-to-color or use of pattern or repetition. Other projects focus on creating contrast and balance. Art mediums and techniques vary from collage to paint to mixed mediums.
Ceramics
Several threads run through all three levels of our ceramics classes. Obviously, technical skills are taught at every level (Basic Ceramics, Intermediate Ceramics, and Advanced Ceramics) and become increasingly complex as the student advances. Students are continuously encouraged to explore the relationships between material and process, form and function; they learn to think, write and speak intelligently about their work; they are encouraged to set their own goals and to critically evaluate their efforts and the resulting forms; they learn to create and problem solve “on the fly”; and they are encouraged to engage in collaborative learning…to use one another as resources and helpers.
Basic Ceramics
Basic Ceramics explores historical pottery forms, their use and what they can tell us about their time and place in history. Students are asked to research specific forms or periods and then, using only handbuilding techniques, to design and create pieces based on their research. Along the way, they learn coiling and slab-building techniques, methods for creating surface texture and pattern, how to meet the structural/engineering demands of the clay, and how to see, think and design three dimensionally.
Intermediate Ceramics
Intermediate Ceramics is wholly about technique and process. Students spend at least two trimesters learning to throw on the wheel, concentrating on very simple forms like cups and bowls. As their technical skills and confidence grow, they are taught various techniques for the design of handles, feet and lids, and are encouraged to begin altering their pieces off the wheel to develop more creative and individualized forms.
Advanced Ceramics
Advanced Ceramics explores the more formal aspects of pottery making. Although they are still learning technique, students are also expected to work at least as much with their minds as with their muscles. They learn to create forms which are balanced and well-composed both visually and functionally; they learn to arrange formal visual elements (negative and positive shapes, texture, line and movement, proportion and volume) to produce forms that work as complete compositions; and they learn to use glazes creatively to complement and complete their work. In addition, alternative firing methods such as gas, wood and salt firing are explored.
Basic Photography
Basic Photography develops technical, visual communication, and aesthetic skills. Students learn to both read and interpret light. By studying works of master photographers, they learn how images can be used to observe, provoke or evoke. A visual language using the principles and elements of design becomes the basis for communicating with imagery.
Lessons focus on learning to use the camera and Adobe Photoshop as tools of artistic expression. Students begin to critique work both orally, and in writing. A journal tracks image development and artistic process. Students create a short series of photographs related by design or subject matter.
Advanced Photography
Advanced Photography develops students' abilities to discern images that are worthy of attention, and by observation and practice, a foundation for creating a style. Critical and editing skills are honed.
Lessons focus on artistic integrity, advanced camera and Photoshop techniques, and aesthetics. Some alternative processes are explored. A journal tracks image development and artistic process. Students work on developing a portfolio and an artist's statement.
Digital Imaging I
Digital Imaging I develops visual relationships through the use of Adobe Photoshop. Students create original compositions through the manipulation and enhancement of photographs, drawings, paintings, scanned imagery and other media.
Lessons focus on visual literacy through project based assignments. A journal tracks image development and artistic process. Students learn to critique work based on the elements and principles of design.
Digital Imaging II
Digital imaging II sharpens students' ability to create imagery in Adobe Photoshop. Students learn to create for output and fine digital printing. Ethics and media usage are explored.
