Visual Arts teachers encourage students to explore their imagination, tap their experience and knowledge about the world, and trust their unique vision without fear of failure. We stress visual literacy, conceptual thinking, experimentation, craftsmanship and commitment. We ask our students to explore, take risks, persevere and deepen their visual perceptions honestly, reflectively and carefully. Our intention is to inspire them to be curious, creative and courageous, but also disciplined and attentive. We hope that through the development of their visual literacy our students will be become more confident in the uniqueness of their vision.

Our courses provide more than art foundations; they instill life skills that will serve students beyond the classroom. Through varied course offerings students engage in asking essential questions about the visual world, develop skills in making important artwork, and use artists habits of mind in their inquiry and process. Teacher-artists nurture respect for cultural heritage, as well as for contemporary art, and expect that through engagement in our program students will become active contributors to a culture that values art. We hope that through effort, perseverance, and inquiry students will achieve a deeper visual understanding of their world and that they will be inspired to create in the future.

 

“Art is not a thing; it is a way.” Elbert Hubbard