Mrs. Wallis's Lower School Art Page
Welcome to Lower School Art!
Thank-you for visiting the Lower School art page. It is a delight to share with you how we experience art in kindergarten through 6th grade!
The Master's School is blessed with a history in the Arts. Because of this foundation, our Visual Art Program is a priority for our students and our facilities support it well. The Lower School art room is located at the top of the hill, and includes a spacious studio equipped for a variety of art disciplines such as drawing, painting, and pottery. Because of the beauty of our unique campus setting, nature themes are often a focus of our artwork. Children are surrounded with visual inspiration even as they walk the pathway to art class!
Kindergarten through 6th grade visit the art room once a week. Classes in 1st through 6th grades are 75 minutes in length, while kindergarten groups meet for 40 minute classes. Once a year, we offer a Spring Art Exhibition to give all our students, their families and friends an opportunity to view and celebrate their work.
We begin our year with a look at how God has made each of us in a unique way and has gifted us with a wonderful variety of abilities. As we enjoy creative experiences together, we purpose to recognize the special contributions each of us will make in the learning process. We discuss the power of the spoken word and our responsibility in speaking words of encouragement and truth into each other's lives.
Our first lesson launches us into a foundational discipline of art: drawing. Drawing is basic to our experiences in art whether we are creating or critiquing, because as we learn to draw well, we learn to see well. Developing the skill to observe carefully will enhance our ability to learn in so many areas. 
We return to drawing throughout the school year and my hope is that children are drawing at home, also. Often times, students bring in their drawings from home, and I am always delighted to see them!
Each year, the Lower School focuses on a Unit Study that we approach as an interdisciplinary learning experience. Our topics include social studies and natural sciences. In art class, students in every grade engage in an art project that reflects and enhances their learning in the classroom. This may include creating Ionic, Doric, or Corinthian clay columns of the early Roman time period, Japanese Sumi-e painting, or the African weaving of Lesotho. Art is also interwoven with other academics throughout the year.
Art history is an integral part of our curriculum, with a focus on Impressionism. We alternate our study from year to year between French and American Impressionist painters, and develop our own painting skills as each student experiences painting on canvas using an easel and acrylic paint. This is a highlight of our year, as the exciting process produces frame-worthy works of art! It is often during this project that I hear "Mrs. Wallis, I want to be an artist when I grow up!"
It is an honor and a privilege for me to guide the children into meaningful art experiences and to see them develop their creative skills and express their thoughts and ideas. We learn so much from each other as we enjoy the creative process as well as a recognition of the Great Designer and the wonder of His creation.
In His service for the children,
Mrs. Sylvia Wallis
Contact Mrs. Wallis at swallis@masterschool.org .
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