| Director of Fine Arts-
Jennifer Furr
Middle/High
School Fine Arts
UPPER
SCHOOL ART- 2003 TAPPS STATE ART CHAMPIONS
Art- Drawing,
Painting, Printmaking: Mrs. Piwonka's classes
focus on two-dimensional art. The program for beginning
art students places great emphasis on drawing, which
is fundamental for all visual art. Students learn
basic printmaking techniques as well, utilizing our
multi-purpose printing press. Concepts in pen and
ink design are explored, along with techniques for
creating mixed media collage work. Beginning art students
wind up the year with an introduction to oil painting,
a foundation on which to build in subsequent years
of study. Work created by these students can be viewed
on the walls of Irwin and Rogers Halls. This group
will decide at the end of the year whether to continue
to study intermediate two-dimensional art, or opt
for sculpture and ceramics for the following year,
as beginning art is a prerequisite for both.
Intermediate art students build on previous knowledge
gained, and explore artistic techniques in more depth.
Oil paintings and multi-processed printmaking projects
become more complicated, and attention is always given
to sharpening drawing skills, rendering still life
works and self-portraits.
Advanced art students study independently, creating
paintings, collages, drawings and prints. They are
introduced to new techniques such as transferring
photographic negative images onto canvas and paper
using darkroom procedures and special emulsions. They
work one-on-one with Mrs. Piwonka, and some of them
are producing college-level (and beyond) work.
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Sculpture/Ceramics:Mrs.
Smith instructs classes that concentrate on three-dimensional
art. Beginning sculpture/ceramics students experiment
with many media, including papier-mache, plaster,
clay, wood and wire. They learn to use the potter’s
wheel, to hand-build ceramic works and to make and
apply glaze. Artists studied include Alexander Calder,
Michelangelo, Clyde Connell, Robert Arneson, Joseph
Cornell, Louise Nevelson and Claes Oldenberg. Emphasis
is placed on a process orientation.
Advanced sculpture/ceramics students fine-tune the
techniques they learned the previous year, with the
procedures and projects becoming more complex. Emphasis
is still placed on process, and a more thorough exploration
is made of glaze composition and kiln firing. Formal
critique sessions help students to understand and
appreciate all forms of art, and to communicate with
one about aesthetic problem solving.
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Middle
School Choir:
This group has been challenged to greater participation
and to amazing music making. The challenges of the
changing body and voice have been met in daily voice-developing
exercises. They are eagerly learning more about how
music is written and what those little dots on the
page are all about.
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Upper
School Choir: Again, this choir is working very
hard to develop their voices to greater potential
and are learning how to decode that language called
music notation. The music theory experiences are based
on the system of music education developed by Zoltán
Kodály in Hungary some 50 years ago. It is
a system that uses hand signs and the movable do system
of solfege. This system enables students to not only
hear the melodic movement of pitches but also lets
them feel the movement in their body by using hand
signs. It encourages a fully active participation
from the students.
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