IF REMBRANDT WERE ALIVE TODAY, HE D BE DEAD: Bringing the Visual Arts to Life for Gifted Children Eileen S. Prince For more extensive and specific information concerning the topics of today s presentation - Sycamore s curriculum and the philosophy that inspires it - you can explore my books: Art Matters Strategies, Ideas, and Activities to Strengthen Learning across the Curriculum Art Is Fundamental Teaching the Elements and Principles of Art in Elementary School Art Is Every Day Activities for the Home, Park, Museum, and City These books should be available at your local library (or, of course, from Amazon.) PHILOSOPHY AT SYCAMORE SCHOOL, VISUAL ARTS INSTRUCTION IS VIEWED AS AN INTEGRAL AND NECESSARY PART OF THE CURRICULUM. IT IS UNDERSTOOD THAT A DISCIPLINE-BASED ART PROGRAM IMPROVES ABILITIES IN OTHER SUBJECT AREAS, ENCOURAGES HIGHER-LEVEL THINKING SKILLS, PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR CREATIVE SELF-EXPRESSION, ACCOMMODATES ALL LEARNING STYLES, AND OFFERS AN ALTERNATIVE MEANS OF DECODING CULTURAL SYMBOLS. IT IS A VITAL ASPECT OF EDUCATION IN AN INCREASINGLY VISUAL WORLD. ACADEMICALLY GIFTED CHILDREN ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY ABLE IN VISUAL ART, AND TALENTED ARTISTS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY GIFTED.
THUS, IT IS VITALLY IMPORTANT TO EXPOSE GIFTED STUDENTS TO A QUALITY ART PROGRAM. SUCH A PROGRAM PRESENTS PROJECTS AS VISUAL PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED, NOT AS PREDETERMINED "COOKIE- CUTTER" OUTCOMES. IT REQUIRES CONSTANT DECISION-MAKING ON THE PART OF THE STUDENT, DEMANDS HIGH STANDARDS OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND INSTILLS IN THE PUPIL A DEEP RESPECT FOR ART AS A DISCIPLINE. IT PROMOTES INTELLECTUAL HONESTY AND CURIOSITY, AND IT ENCOURAGES DIVERSITY. IT DISCOURAGES JUDGEMENTS BASED UPON IGNORANCE AND PREJUDICE. UNLIKE OTHER ACADEMIC SUBJECTS, IT RECOGNIZES MYRIAD "RIGHT" ANSWERS, AND IT OFFERS SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE WAYS TO EXPRESS STRONG VIEWS AND EMOTIONS. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO THE FORMATION OF A WELL-ROUNDED INDIVIDUAL. THE ART PROGRAM AT SYCAMORE IS RIGOROUS AND SUBSTANTIVE. IT INCLUDES STUDY OF ART HISTORY, ART CRITICISM, AESTHETICS AND PRODUCTION. THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE SYCAMORE PROGRAM IS BASED UPON THE FIRM BELIEF THAT SUCH RIGOR PROMOTES CREATIVITY, DEVELOPS CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS, AND ENHANCES SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH THE ACHIEVEMENT OF HIGH STANDARDS. IT RECOGNIZES THAT ART IS A PRIMARY MEANS OF TRANSMITTING CULTURE AND THAT STUDENTS DESERVE ACCESS TO ALL THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF CIVILIZATION. ART IS A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE. AS WITH ANY LANGUAGE, THE MORE ONE UNDERSTANDS ITS VOCABULARY, STRUCTURE AND NUANCE, THE BETTER ONE MAY COMMUNICATE. ART-EDUCATED STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES MORE FLUENTLY AND ARE MORE CAPABLE OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT OTHER ARTISTS ARE TRYING TO SAY. FOR SOME STUDENTS, EVEN GIFTED ONES, THE VISUAL ARTS MAY OFFER THE MOST VIABLE AVENUE TO SELF-EXPRESSION. ART CURRICULUM - OVERVIEW THE OVERALL GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM IS TWOFOLD: TO ACHIEVE VISUAL LITERACY ON THE PART OF THE STUDENT - TO CREATE AN EDUCATED, CRITICALLY ADEPT "VISUAL CONSUMER" - AND TO ENHANCE THE PUPIL'S CREATIVE ABILITIES. TO THIS END, WE STRIVE FOR THE FOLLOWING: - An increased awareness of, and sensitivity to, the pupil's visual and tactile environment. - An expansion of the student's vocabulary, which in turn augments perception and facilitates discussion.
- An enhanced appreciation of art through an understanding of the artistic process. - A working knowledge of the elements and principles of art. - A familiarity with major historical trends, prominent artists, and a variety of artistic theories. - An awareness of art as a reflection of culture: appreciation of and respect for global diversity and unifying themes. - The development of the student's critical faculties - the ability to make educated judgments. - An understanding of problems raised in aesthetic debate. - Experience with a variety of media. - Creative solutions to visual problems. - Pride in one's work - craftsmanship. Note: This is a program which stresses content. While every effort is made to allow for fun and freedom of expression, these are not the primary goals of the course. The studio projects are the means by which students learn a concept, not ends in themselves, so they won't all be "beautiful" or "cute." The program builds from year to year. When the curriculum calls for "review," the class will verbally review what has been learned previously and frequently do a new and different studio project in order to reinforce and expand the concept. In grades one through three, the emphasis is on the vocabulary of the Elements and Principles of art. In grade four, the focus is on Folk Arts, the Tribal Arts of Africa and the Americas, and the Arts of China and Japan. In grade five, we begin a survey focusing on, but not limited to, Western Art. This survey will integrate with the Humanities format being taught throughout the Middle School, beginning with cave painting and culminating in a seventh-grade exploration of Twentieth Century art theory. Eighthgraders will explore art criticism and aesthetics in greater depth, while developing personal styles. NOTE: THE FIRST CLASS OF EACH YEAR WILL BE DEVOTED TO THE CREATION OF A PORTFOLIO BY EACH STUDENT. ALL TWO-DIMENSIONAL WORKS WILL BE FILED IN THESE PORTFOLIOS AND KEPT IN THE ART ROOM. STUDENTS WHO FINISH A PROJECT BEFORE THE CLASS MOVES ON MAY CHOOSE TO WORK ON ANY UNFINISHED PROJECTS OR TO CREATE "FREELY." "FREE" DRAWINGS MAY BE TAKEN HOME AT ANY TIME OR FILED IN THE PORTFOLIO. ALL PROJECTS WILL BE TAKEN HOME AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
ASSESSMENT: A STUDENT'S PROJECTS WILL DEMONSTRATE WHETHER HE OR SHE HAS GRASPED THE CONCEPTS OR MASTERED THE SKILLS BEING PRESENTED. INVOLVEMENT IN CLASS DISCUSSION WILL ALSO BE CONSIDERED. STUDENT WORK WILL BE JUDGED ON HOW WELL IT DEMONSTRATES COMPREHENSION OF CONCEPTS, CREATIVITY (UNIQUENESS OF THE SOLUTION TO THE VISUAL PROBLEM), AND CRAFTSMANSHIP. STUDENT PROGRESS CAN BE DETERMINED BY VIEWING THE PORTFOLIO AS A WHOLE. NOTE: WHILE THIS CURRICULUM WILL NURTURE THE ARTISTICALLY GIFTED STUDENT, IT IS DESIGNED TO BENEFIT ALL PUPILS. GOOD ART LESSONS ARE AUTOMATICALLY SELF-INDIVIDUALIZING: THE LESSONS IN THIS CURRICULUM ARE ACHIEVABLE BY ANY CHILD WHO MAKES A SINCERE EFFORT, ALTHOUGH THE ARTISTICALLY GIFTED STUDENT MAY PRODUCE A SUPERIOR PRODUCT. THE GRADING SCALE WILL NOT PENALIZE A CHILD FOR LACKING ARTISTIC TALENT. CONCEPTS WILL BE INTRODUCED IN BOTH ORAL AND WRITTEN FORM AND, OF COURSE, ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH MANIPULATION, IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE ALL LEARNING STYLES. REGULARLY SCHEDULED FIELD TRIPS WILL BE NOTED IN THIS OVERVIEW. SPECIAL TRIPS, SPEAKERS, ETC. WILL BE ADDED AT THE DISCRETION OF THE INSTRUCTOR AS OPPORTUNITIES ARISE. REPRESENTATIVE STUDENT WORKS WILL BE DISPLAYED INFORMALLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, PREFERABLY WITH EXPLANATORY NOTES SO THAT VIEWERS MAY UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT BEING EXPLORED. EACH SPRING, THE ART DEPARTMENT WILL HELP PLAN AND IMPLEMENT A FINE ARTS FESTIVAL. THE VISUAL ARTS COMPONENT OF THIS FESTIVAL WILL INCLUDE A DISPLAY OF INDIVIDUALLY MOUNTED AND LABELLED ARTWORKS, INCLUDING AT LEAST ONE PIECE BY EACH STUDENT. LABELS SHOULD INCLUDE THE STUDENT'S NAME AND THE SIGNIFICANT CONCEPT(S) INVOLVED. WHEN ONE IS STUDYING ART, ESPECIALLY MODERN ART AND THE ART OF OTHER CULTURES, MANY AESTHETIC QUESTIONS ARISE. SUCH QUESTIONS SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED AND DEBATED OPENLY. SEVERAL SUCH PROBLEMS APPEAR ON A LARGE CHART IN THE ART ROOM, AND AS FURTHER QUESTIONS ARE RAISED, THEY SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE CHART