– Why we do it –
Art is the product of creative beauty. As people formed in the image of God, we were made to create beautiful things. We experience joy when we are able to create things that imitate our Creator.
Contrary to what is often claimed, beauty is not in the eye of the beholder. Beauty is not a matter or subjective opinion but rather that which reflects God. This means that nothing false, evil or haphazard qualifies as beautiful.
We are called to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1) and fill out minds with lovely, admirable and praiseworthy things (Philippians 4:8). We seek to teach our students to do this through the medium of art.
– How we teach it –
All students from kindergarten to eighth grade have weekly art classes. The curriculum for these courses takes students through the various forms of art from the beginning of history to our present time. This is our Art through the Ages curriculum. Early on in the year, the students imitate artistic work that dates back to the times of the Old Testament such as cave drawings. They progress through the artwork of the Classical era and Church age before moving on to the Renaissance and other forms of modern art.
Each year, the students make an art book with beautiful Bible verses/concepts and corresponding artwork. This book is a team effort in which each student contributes to a unified story. At the end, these books are made available for purchase and a copy is housed in our library.
Starting in high school, students can elect to participate in Studio Art. These art classes challenge students with higher level projects in a variety of mediums. Many of these students also attend the weekly Art Club in which the students work on projects like murals and life-sized sculptures. At the end of the school year and during Christmas time, we put our students’ best artwork on display for parents and visitors to admire. Students then bring their masterpieces home to place in an art portfolio.