The Visual Art Department at Germantown Academy is committed to providing a comprehensive education in the arts within the context of a liberal arts education.Our foundation and advanced curriculum is a well-rounded and versatile approach to the study and application of art. It is designed to provide a creatively stimulating education in an open environment of studio classes.Experimentation and innovation, collaboration and social responsibility are themes built into the curriculum.While these courses extend excellent opportunities for the general study of art and life-long arts advocacy, they are also designed to cultivate serious talents in the visual arts. Many of our students have gone on to prominent careers in commercial, fine, and applied arts.
2nd
graders spent time collecting and
arranging oak leaves from the Quad to make group fabric sun prints. It was magical to watch the clear dye turn
bright blue or orange when exposed to
sunlight! Our next project will be a collaboration
with music and language arts and 2nd graders took autumn photos of the Preserve using their
iPads to get inspiration for colors and shapes.
Autumn Expressions: Collages, Sounds, and Words – 2nd
graders collaborated in music, art, and literacy to create an autumn
project. In art they used their visits and
iPad photos from the Preserve as inspiration to create autumn
landscapes. They created paste paper in reds, oranges, yellows, and
browns. They created a horizon line and drew basic shapes in pencil and
used watercolor to paint their background. 2nd
graders used their colorful paste paper to collage their trees, grass,
cattails, and other natural items. In music class, they recorded rhythms
on the Green Ribbon trail using rocks, stones, leaves, and the creek. 2nd
graders also created poems about autumn. Look for a video compilation of this project in the New Year!
Weekends where I don’t get out of my pajamas, late night talks, going
out to eat, march madness, concerts, reading a book in one day, petting
my dog’s ears, watching football, listening to an album straight
through, conversations with strangers
The Visual Art Department partnered with the Community Service Organization over the Martin Luther Kind holiday weekend for a buddy day with students from Silver Springs. Working in both the drawing and photography studios, students made boxes for their interests and dreams. The project was designed by honors art student S. Tran.
1st grade artists learned about baby elephants who were
orphaned because of poaching and were taken in at The David Sheldrick Wildlife
Trust in Kenya. 1st grade classes have just completed 5 elephant and
1 giraffe sculpture based on real orphans named Panda, Dupotto, Quanza, Embu,
Bongo, and Kili the giraffe. Next, 1st graders are creating African
patterned blankets for the animal sculptures.Three of the elephants and their quilted blankets, sewn
together by parent volunteer Mary Walton, will be for auction in the Germantown
Academy Parents’ Fundraiser this spring
Upper school parents, students and faculty gathered to celebrate the visual and performing arts at a chamber music and art reception in the Art Center Gallery last month.