"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."
—Pablo Picasso
Art
Early Program
Early Program children are provided with many opportunities to explore their creative abilities and to express their thoughts and feelings through visual and tactile artistic media. Special care is taken neither to judge, nor compare their efforts. Teachers observe, listen and praise the children, guiding them through the process of manifesting their ideas.
Each classroom contains an “art area” in which basic art materials can always be found, including a variety of papers, tempera paints, crayons, water colors, markers, an easel, glue, and collage materials. The children choose or are guided to this area as one of the many activities that make up their “daily work.”
In addition, Caedmon has developed an Early Program art curriculum, which takes the children on a journey of exploration into the materials, techniques and impressions that comprise the artist’s experience. The journey can be described in four parts.
1. By observing the work of well-known artists, the children discover that artists see the same things in many different ways. Monet looked at a lily and saw one thing, while Van Gogh saw something else. Thus, the children learn to look at their own work as an expression of their special view of the world.
2. The children are introduced to the tools of the artist’s craft and the proper techniques for using them. They are taught to hold a piece of chalk, clean a paintbrush, and blend colors. True to Montessori, the care of materials is an essential part of the learning process.
3. A wide variety of materials is explored. Watercolors, clay, inks, charcoal, pencil, pastel, are introduced and compared with an eye toward the sensory stimulation they provide to the child.
4. Five artists of renown are examined in sensory detail, to allow the children to experience the subjective, visceral impact of each. By entering their artistic world of these, our children’s own vision is validated and encouraged.
Elementary
The Elementary Art Program introduces children to the world of visual arts by expanding their ability to see the world in all its natural and created beauty. Within a supportive and non-judgmental workspace, they are stimulated to act upon their creative impulses and create original works of art. Under the aesthetic and practical guidance of a professional artist, they learn that the creative process is as important as an artistic result.
Techniques are introduced, such as color mixing, strip painting, stenciling, crayon resist, paper sculpture, rubbings, still-life, and more. The children work in a variety of media, including tempera, watercolors, collage, weaving, sculpture, and ceramics. Individual, creative, artistic expression is encouraged and supported, along with opportunities to participate in collaborative, group projects. With each project, children experience the complete artistic process, from the conception of an idea, through planning and design, to the completion of a presentable work of art. They also learn to properly care for their creations, tools, and workspace.
Throughout the year, the themes and topics studied in the classrooms are incorporated in the art projects. In response to numerous museum visits, videos, slides, and posters, the children learn to recognize, value, and express with confidence their own artistic preferences. At the same time, they gain an appreciation of culture and history by studying the form and function of art in different times and places.
