Fine Arts

The arts are my personal love, and because of this are part of the curriculum that I teach.  Since there are no right or wrong answers in art (just possibilities), it is a place where students can express themselves creatively and experiment to find what they are capable of.  

Every year we do a dramatic stage production of a play (or musical depending on the class) that is cast, directed, produced, and put together by the students.  In conjunction with our play preparation, we have been honored to have the Missoula Children’s Theatre group come in and do a workshop with the class on acting strategies and skills.  We have done both a prewritten play and have also written our own play (as a collaborative effort).  Student participation includes both acting in the play as well as working on one of the stage committees to put it all together; learning both what happens on the stage as well as behind the scenes.  It is a great experience for the kids and fun for the whole family to come and watch at our evening performance.

Each week (unless other circumstances prevent it) we have an art lesson that focuses on either one of the medias or techniques/skills used by artists.  Past projects have included the medias of  grayscale sketching, acrylic painting, oil pastel, chalk pastel, watercolor, mixed media collage, origami, colored pencil, wax (crayon), ceramic sculpture, mixed media sculpture and conte crayon.  Skills that we have worked on have included (but are not limited to): lines, shape, form, space, point, light/ shading, motion, direction, scale, dimension, texture/repetition, composition, color pallet value and contrast, mood, and other techniques specific to a medium.  We have several guest artists and volunteers that come in to our class to teach a skill, model a technique, and/or show samples of a media they work in as possibilities of what you can do with it. 

Selected works are displayed in the school library or cafeteria (students are given the option to sign the back if they are uncomfortable with others knowing which is their piece of art) due to my belief that all art if beautiful and meant to be shared with others.  Parent volunteers are welcome during art time to help, teach, or participate with what we are doing that week.