Mrs. Kurisky

Art

      Grades K through 8 participate in Art class each week for 40 minutes. In that time period, the children are allowed to express themselves creatively through various projects that help them to learn about the value of art in our society.

      At the beginning of the school year, the children are taught about tapping into the creative side of their brains, or the right half of the brain. This is accomplished through various drawing exercises that help the children leave behind some of their more analytical thought processes to allow their creativity to grow. As the year progresses, students are given projects that help them to learn about the elements and principals of design. The students learn about differences in shapes and forms, lines, colors, texture, balance, symmetry and the differences between light and dark (values). They also learn about mixing colors to create other colors, about primary and secondary colors and how artists use color to express emotions as well as to provide balance to their art pieces. All students will experience art both two-dimensionally as well as three-dimensionally. The children work with many different kinds of media such as pencil, paint, pastels, charcoal, papier mache, and clay, as well as crayon, colored pencil and textiles. The curriculum for each grade is based on their skill level with emphasis for the younger students placed on developing fine motor skills. For older students, materials become more sophisticated and they are given projects that are more involved. Art history is introduced throughout the school year to all grades by providing projects that are based on a particular artist’s body of work or style.

      Students also participate throughout the school year in helping provide decoration and embellishment for activities in the school like the library’s Book Fair and the Spring Festival of the Arts. The Music and Art Departments work closely together to help tie in art with various musical programs or plays. In May, at the Spring Festival, a selection of the student’s body of work is on display for all to see as they enter into the school for the Musical Program.

      Our Art Department continues to grow each year as our children continue to grow and bring new ideas to the program. We strive to fulfill the National Standards for Visual Arts and are guided by the curriculum set forth by the Diocese of Harrisburg. Our goal is to encourage students to think in a different and more creative way and to help them experience art in every aspect of their lives.