Visual Art Maple River Schools
Why Take Art?
Why is it important for students at this level to study visual art?
This question is often asked of us at conference time so I thought it would be helpful to post here as a reference.
Art is typically considered a co-curricular activity; meaning that it is part of the curriculum, students recieve credit, and are involved during the school day. Minnesota values art as part of the core for their learners. There are both state and federal standards in the visual arts.
The purpose of an art program should be to involve students more fully in the culture in which they find themselves. It should also provide a means of making tangible works to express personal feelings, ideas, and processes.
The purpose of an art program is also to introduce students to the elements and principles of art which include; shape/form, line, space, value, color, and texture. With the knowledge of these aspects of art students become better able to decide for themselves what types of visual art appeal to them. It is also the purpose of an art program on the high school level to address art education as discipline based. In other words to approach the curriculum in such a way that allows for combined experiences in Art Production, Art Criticism, Art History, and Aesthetics.
Students in art classes are able to encounter, manipulate and discover; high fire white clay, acrylic paint, tempura paint, watercolors, calligraphy, collage, assemblage, cray-pas, colored pencils, ink,graphite,crayon, scratch paper, construction paper,
tissue paper, play doh, block printing, printers ink, newsprint and many other materials. Students are able to learn how to draw, paint, sculpt, mold, and make. Due to the fact that every child is an artist of some kind they may discover these things in other ways in other places. However here in school they are taught what it means to be part of a community of learning about the visual arts.
They discover things about the culture they find themselves in and learn ways to express their thoughts and feelings about it. A love of art is a value that students may or may not choose for themselves, but they leave the art room with tools to express. In a culture like we find ourselves in today expression of one's true feelings may prove difficult. We are trying to give students the means early on to transmit their thoughts, and opinions visually. Even if they are simply creating for themselves it is worth it. Art can be helpful to those who do not have the words to express, those that have much feeling and thought. Visual art takes part of the artists heart and shows it to the world. The energy and thought which one puts into a work become visible.
While not everyone is a natural artist in one medium or another in this class students are given the opportunity to find their medium, or their means of expression. Visual arts create means of expression that are not possible through other venues.
There are no hard and fast rules for artistic success as the rules are made by people and these are constantly changing. For art to be important it must be reflective of the individual making it. There are as many different kinds of art expression as there are students. It would not seem wise to value one kind of expression over another. As each of our students is uniquely an individual their art is just as important to us as they are, and just as unique. Their art should grow, change and develop just as they do. It's amazing to watch it do so.
For these and so many other reasons visual art is important, to the individual, to the school, and to the community. Visual expression covers so much ground in our culture and in our world. We need to teach our children how to tell us what they think, feel, and believe in, without words.
Visual Art is a reflection of the culture in which it is found. The values therefore span a spectrum. We are very lucky that this community values the arts and continues to support them.
If you wish to help support our artists and their creativity we have an art room wish list on this website.
Parents, building creativity is very important in a young person's life.
Being in the art room is essential to that end.
Here is a site run by Crayola that helps explain the importance of creativity and also may give you some helpful hints as far as how to foster these things in a growing artist at home.