In Middle School, Innovators will take classes in various performing, media, and visual arts disciplines to develop core skills and understandings. In Grades 6-8, Innovators will:

• Learn core art skills and experiences
• Develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills
• Build essential skills such as analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and critical judgment
• Develop a tolerance for ambiguity
• Learn new forms of cultural expression
• Develop an appreciation for diversity
• Develop aesthetic literacy
• Visual Art

The Middle School visual arts program provides opportunities for Innovators to continue developing their artistic skills while gaining exposure to newer media and alternative processes. Innovators are challenged to generate multiple ideas and solutions, develop and use higher-level thinking skills, and expand their awareness of art and design in everyday tools and techniques.

Course Offerings

Grade 6 Art

This welcoming course is designed to offer Innovators opportunities to explore a variety of media, gain an introduction to the Elements of Art and Principles of Design, and begin to learn how to be in an artistic community with one another. Materials and processes to be explored include drawing with graphite and charcoal, acrylic and watercolor paint, paper-cutting, sculpture, photography, ink, collage, printmaking, and digital art. Through the manipulation of materials, Innovators incorporate their own experiences, ideas, and feelings into their art projects. Innovators look at the work of artists from multiple disciplines and eras.

Grade 7/8 Art 

Building upon the skills explored in Grade 6, this course is designed to offer Innovators more chances to make higher-stakes artistic decisions while practicing the use of the Elements of Art and Principles of Design. Materials and processes to be explored include drawing with graphite and charcoal, acrylic and watercolor paint, paper-cutting, sculpture, photography, ink, collage, printmaking, and digital art. Through the manipulation of materials, Innovators incorporate their own experiences, ideas, and feelings into their art projects. Innovators look at the work of artists from multiple disciplines and eras and begin to recognize more relationships between art history and their practice.

In the Upper School, Innovators will have the opportunity to explore various arts disciplines or focus on one. In Grades 9-12, Innovators:

• Develop creativity and innovative thinking
• Use art as a social tool to question and challenge
• Develop work and skills through practice, constructive feedback, reflection, and revision
• Invent, create and experiment with a variety of tools, materials, and techniques to communicate ideas and express emotions
• Communicate their own experiences and understand the lives of others
• Question and make sense of the world around them

Course Offerings

Grade 9 Art 

This course is designed to offer Innovators opportunities to explore their voice and perspective in art-making and receive more guidance through critiques. Materials and processes to be explored include drawing with graphite and charcoal, acrylic and watercolor paint, paper-cutting, sculpture, photography, ink, collage, printmaking, and digital art. Through the manipulation of materials, Innovators incorporate their own experiences, ideas, and feelings into their art projects. Innovators look at the work of artists from multiple disciplines and eras and can understand how what they create references the history of art.

Grade 10 Art

Building upon the skills explored in Grade 9, this course is designed to offer Innovators more chances to combine learned techniques with higher-level concepts in their pieces. Materials and processes to be explored include drawing with graphite and charcoal, acrylic and watercolor paint, paper-cutting, sculpture, photography, ink, collage, printmaking, and digital art, as well as found materials and materials of their choosing. Through the manipulation of materials, Innovators incorporate their own experiences, ideas, and feelings into their art projects. Innovators look at the work of artists from multiple disciplines and eras and begin to recognize more relationships between art history and their discipline.