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For our Early Childhood Program students, creative projects are a mainstay of their curriculum and you'll often see smocked children painting their Thanksgiving turkey or using a straw to blow paint "Thing One's" blue hair. In the Lower School, students are introduced to the elements of art and principles of design during weekly art classes. Students use a variety of media including acrylics, clay, colored pencil, pastels, and watercolor. At each grade level, the curriculum incorporates age-appropriate art history and introduces the students to some of “The Masters” and their works.

Once a student reaches the seventh grade, the curriculum broadens to include a basic introduction to the birth of art “–isms,” from the 17th and 18th century Neoclassic to Post-Impressionistic periods. Perhaps the most exciting part of this class is their participation in the student art show at the end of the school year, which includes art from all studio and graphic design classes from grade 7 through grade 12. Students then progress to a more project-based syllabus where their study of contemporary artists of the 19th–21st centuries allow stepping stones for experimentation in different media for sculpture and three-dimensional pieces.

In the ninth grade, classes become more medium-specific. Courses such as painting or sculpture prepare burgeoning artists for more advanced classes such as Portfolio or AP Studio Art. Students also have the opportunity to branch out into digital art in Graphic Design.

Introduction to Studio Art
  • Encompasses the fundamentals of basic design, in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional formats 
  • Materials include but are not limited to pencil, charcoal, colored pencils, pastels, ink, acrylic paint, found objects, mixed media, animation, digital media, and clay
  • Students experience various styles and ideas, with the goal of developing technical skills and expanding creativity
  • Emphasis is placed on student choice while practicing each step of the artistic process, from preliminary sketch to display 

Intermediate Studio Art 
  • Builds upon the basic skills that were developed in Introduction to Studio Art
  • Further emphasizes how to communicate a message visually
  • Projects are thematic, in order to encourage creative approaches with a wide array of finished projects 
  • Students experiment with techniques and materials in addition to those used in Introduction to Studio Art, such as figure drawing and the potter’s wheel

Advanced Studio Art
  • Projects in this course continue thematically, with individual choices for materials and ideas
  • Students begin to work in series, creating a group of pieces that reflect advanced technical skills, as well as creative and original insight
  • The teacher supports the students in expanding technical skill and encouraging creativity, introducing new media and formats, such as public, environmental, or installation art and curating

Portfolio
  • Designed for students who wish to further explore the fine arts in a serious manner
  • Submit a proposal for each series of projects, work independently to execute the pieces (with the teacher as consultant rather than director), participate in critiques of their work, and prepare artwork for display
  • Culminates in a part of the annual student art show devoted to Portfolio and AP students

AP Studio Art
  • Allows highly motivated students to do college-level work in the visual arts while still in the Upper School
  • Students follow the AP guidelines for AP 2-D Design or AP Drawing to pursue self-selected concentrations and demonstrate a broad range of ability with a variety of media and techniques
  • Students must independently exhibit critical judgment, self-discipline, exceptional interest, personal insight, and technical skill
  • Culminates in a part of the annual art show devoted to Portfolio and AP students

Introduction to Graphic Design
  • A fusion between technical skill and artistic mastery
  • Focus on the components of effective illustration and design while creating projects ranging from pop culture graphics, typography portraits, and Lego illustrations to logos, advertisements, and brochures
  • Students will establish a strong foundation both in conceptual design and in design software such as the Adobe Creative Suite

Advanced Graphic Design
  • Examines graphic design as a component of society, culture and general history
  • Students expand proficiency in all aspects of the design process, including the use of formal design principles, type as image, creative brainstorming, conceptualizing, critical thinking, collaboration and presentation
  • Projects, including magazine designs, company branding and other more in-depth assignments, require the mastery and integration of multiple Adobe Creative Suite programs
​Amy Jackson
Art Department Chair, Upper School Studio Art
Wake Forest University—B.A.
Virginia Commonwealth University—M.A.E. 
Appointed 2004
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​Kendra Wert
Lower School/7th, 8th grade Art teacher
Bowling Green State University-- B.A.
Appointed 2021
Sarah Sledd ’12
Upper School Graphic Design Teacher, Yearbook Advisor, Director of Social Media Marketing
Liberty University—B.S.
​Appointed 2018
Lower School Art Studio, Upper School Art Studio, & Graphic Design Lab, Slack Hall
Equipment & Tools:
  • small printing press
  • silkscreen
  • monoprint
  • block printing
  • five potter's wheels
  • kiln
  • extruder
  • slab roller
  • pug mill
  • digital drawing board 
  • variety of styluses
  • scanner
  • laser and ink-jet printers
  • large format printer
  • 3-D printer
  • Adobe Creative Suite