Visual Arts
Through art, we hope to stimulate creativity, curiosity, and reflection, all of which are crucial to fostering a student's self-expression.
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Lower School
We believe every child who walks into our studios is an artist. The Lower School Art curriculum is designed for students to take chances, make mistakes, reflect, and grow creatively.
Young artists engage in hands-on projects that explore various mediums, from traditional painting and sculpture to digital art and mixed media. By introducing students to art from various periods—past and contemporary—we aim to deepen their appreciation for the beauty and diversity around them. This exposure encourages our students to adopt a mindful perspective, prompting them to slow down, observe, and interpret the world through an artistic lens.
Students’ time in the art studios is balanced between structured art lessons as well as opportunities for open-ended "MakerTime." During MakerTime, students make their own creative decisions as they experiment using a wide variety of materials, fostering independence, self-expression, collaboration, and innovation.
Throughout their journey, we assess student progress using various methods, including interactive and conversation with the students themselves, and evaluating artwork to gauge understanding of the concepts taught. Through this holistic approach, our Lower School Art program strives to nurture not only artistic skills but also critical thinking and self-confidence, laying a solid foundation for a lifelong love of art and learning.
Because we treasure seeing our students develop and build on skills from PreK to 5th grade, we document the process and finished artworks with high quality images that are curated, shared and archived on SmugMug throughout their Lower School years.
"As art educators, we strive to help each student find their place in the art room. The Middle School Art Curriculum is designed to allow students to experience a wide variety of techniques and materials throughout their Middle School journey. Whether students discover a passion for woodworking and sculpting with clay or an affinity for drawing and painting, it is our goal that all students are able to connect with some type of visual arts medium while simultaneously developing problem solving skills through hands on learning."
elizabeth buckman, art teacher and art department head, middle school
Middle School
Our Middle School art program revolves around the broader picture of what happens during the act of creating. Taking time to explore a medium, discuss ideas, think about possible solutions, and work through obstacles is vital to not only making art, but also to creating a well-rounded, confident individual.
Our holistic approach involves hands-on learning, where students develop problem-solving skills and explore their own creativity with new techniques. During semester-long courses, students are exposed to a wide range of two and three-dimensional media including: drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, mixed-media, clay, metal sculpture and wood sculpture. Art history is referenced for each project, and trips to art museums are scheduled in the 6th and 8th grades.
Upper School
The Upper School Visual Art Department is committed to providing a comprehensive education in the arts within the context of a liberal arts education. Our foundation and advanced curriculum is a well-rounded and versatile approach to the study and application of art. It is designed to provide a creatively stimulating education in a studio environment.
Art Across the Academy, a cross-divisional, collaborative effort, is a program that shares the work of GA student artists and introduces the work of professional artists throughout the campus and into the daily lives of the community.
"Our art program fosters creativity, critical thinking, and self-expression, preparing students for diverse future paths with invaluable skills."