The Campus School of Carlow University Visual Arts

The Campus School art curriculum is based on the premise that all students are artists. Learning why and how artists make art informs how and why we make art ourselves. Experimentation and practice with tools and materials helps us to improve our skills and understanding and increases our understanding of the process of making art.

Visual arts are integral to the Campus School preschool, elementary and upper school programs

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Early Childhood: Playful, experiential art experiences that are developmentally appropriate. Presymbolic and early symbolic explorations in painting, drawing, collage, constructing, print and sculpture to encourage symbolic thinking and a foundation in understanding what art materials do. Concepts introduced relate to: language; counting; patterns; symmetry; whole/part relationships; basic measuring; shapes and colors, and introducing the works of art, artists and the elements of art.

Primary & Intermediate:  Developmentally appropriate art experiences within a sequential framework that develop creative learners through an art curriculum that inspires imagination and self-discovery through  painting, drawing, collage, constructing, ceramics, and printmaking. Art projects often connect to PA Core Standards in curriculum areas. Students are encouraged to observe their world and draw on that knowledge to develop art expression skills and deepen their understanding of the meanings of works of art.

Concepts include:

Essential questions in art

Elements and principles of art

Art history / art of different eras and places

How is art made / art materials / what makes art unique

How art making evolves in different materials

How artists use eyes, hands to make art

How artists have impacted the course of art

Upper School: Skill-based immersion in the creative process deepens students’ confidence to take risks, develop art expression skills, and promotes problem-solving skills. Discussions about art-making and works of art nurture metacognitive skills and increase their understanding of the meanings of works of art as students reflect on artwork created by themselves and others. Projects  in painting, drawing, collage, constructing, ceramics, photography, digital art, and printmaking invite individual responses and inspire students’ imaginations.

Concepts include:

Essential questions in art

Elements and principles of art and design

Artistic literacy / art analysis and artistic processes

How artists work as designers and  inventors

Careers that utilize and require different art skills

Materials and methods in art

Art writing

Studio practice

Societal influence of art