Visual Arts

Early Childhood

Early Childhood:  Art is integrated into daily activities

Preschool classes explore color and various media. Through instructional activities and independent exploration children develop an awareness of space and form. The Early Childhood Campus is transformed into an art gallery for the ECC Art Show that is held on a Friday evening in April.

View photos from ECC Art Show

View samples of student work - ECC through HS.

Elementary

Elementary:  One 60-minute class each week

The curriculum emphasizes the process of creation as well as the created product. The goals for children in visual art include enjoyment of the creative process, use of media for self-expression, use of media as a means of communication, and an appreciation of fine art. In the spring, each student selects several pieces of his or her work to display at the Annual Art Show.

Middle School

Middle School Art:  A core subject taken at least one semester in grades 6 through 8.

Students will gain an understanding of themselves and how they can reveal their personal insights and feelings through their artwork. They will be able to express themselves, who they are, and how they feel, through their artwork.Students will also gain an appreciation for art and an understanding of art history. Their experiences will integrate art experience, art history appreciation, and how artwork has been a reflection of periods in time.  The students will view and discuss art from other cultures and from other time periods.  They will discuss how art impacts their daily lives. Students will explore the relationship between a work of art and the attitudes and values, the quality of life, and the spiritual beliefs held by the culture that produced it. The students will understand how traditions, histories and beliefs have influenced art and the way works of art have been valued in society and different cultures. This will allow students to have an appreciation of where they come from, and their own beliefs and how this will be portrayed through their own creative work.

High School

High School: A selection of fine arts courses are offered as electives.

High school students can elect to participate in the visual arts program. Eleventh and twelfth grade students participating in the IB Diploma Programme are required to take one two-year course in one of The Arts. The students' work is entered in community-wide  juried art shows and is displayed in International Square [located at the Bearss Avenue campus] during CDS Prep's performing arts showcases.

View samples of high school work.

Click here to read more about art courses offered at the high school.