Visual Arts
Lower School
Lower School students practice several types of visual art, such as drawing and painting, using many different tools and media. They combine techniques and procedures, doing collage, montage, and experiment with photography and video. As students progress, they participate in inquiry-based learning and problem solving while creating their art. They are also encouraged to seek and explore their own questions within the framework of the art or artists the class discovers. Art class in the Lower School gives students a window into the rich and interesting world around them. In the art room, they develop a practice of looking closely and questioning their own thoughts and processes in art. They have the opportunity to express what they perceive and imagine and explain their projects using the appropriate vocabulary in French. Some of the art projects also support classroom projects and projects made in Music class.
Middle and High School
In the three-year Middle School program, students build a foundation in the elements and principles of art, art history and analysis, and conceptual thought. In Grade 6 and Grade 7, students familiarize themselves with artistic vocabulary and demonstrate their knowledge through small projects in a variety of two and three dimensional media. In Grade 88th grade, students work on longer term projects surrounding a conceptual theme, such as “art, architecture, and urban space,” exploring the connection between art and society across cultures. Art in The Middle School course is taught in French.
Our high school students work in a variety of media ranging from oil paint to charcoal, photography to sculpture. Studio hours are held at lunchtime and after school to enable students to work on projects beyond the classroom. In our Arts Pavilion, In the gallery and other spaces around the Pavilion, students showcase their work year-round, and more specifically during art shows and festivals held throughout the year. Seniors studying art in the International Baccalaureate program also display their projects in an IB Showcase in March.
French Bac/Option
In this two-year program, students will learn technical and conceptual skills that they will apply towards a six-piece portfolio of work. By learning the language of visual media, students will become attuned to the ways in which different materials and techniques can be mobilized towards the expression of complex artistic ideas. In the first year of the program, students will experiment with a variety of conceptual and technical prompts, while in the second year they will work more independently to develop a portfolio of work surrounding a conceptual theme.
Additionally, students will learn how to contextualize their work within a broader art historical context. Throughout both years, they will investigate the work of global artists in order to inform their own ideas and process.