Overview

In the Art Studio at Falk School students explore the Visual Arts as a language through which they can make meaning and express themselves in multiple ways. They explore materials and techniques including ceramics, drawing, painting, printmaking, woodworking and papier mâché in increasingly sophisticated ways as they grow up. Students work as artists to construct imaginary worlds, connect to nature, build puppets, learn about other artists, experiment, innovate and play. The Visual Arts are also an integral part of many collaborative projects that connect to other curricular areas including music, technology, language arts, social studies and math. One visit to Falk School will confirm that the arts are highly valued and visible throughout the building.

Primary

In the Primary years students are invited to experiment and play with many different art materials to learn their expressive qualities and make meaning through the artistic process. Students draw, paint and sculpt to communicate things that are important to them, to tell stories and to understand the world around them. They practice the skills of the artist to become increasingly confident in their creative practice. Some favorite projects include painting the colors of pumpkins, drawing self-portraits and designing homes for squirrels.

Intermediate

In the Intermediate years students continue to grow in their artistic practice as they are challenged with increasingly sophisticated projects and creative processes. They use a variety of materials and techniques such as printmaking, collage, painting, drawing and ceramics to express imaginative stories, build inventive worlds and share things that are important to them through the language of the visual arts.  Some favorite projects include the construction of fairy homes, the creation of puppets of much-loved pets and the invention of programmable robots.

Middle School

Middle school students work as artists to cultivate their creative voices through long-term studio work on self-reflective challenges. It is a goal for our students to graduate from Falk feeling confident using their voice as a visual artist to express ideas that are important to them and to understand how their art-making fits into a larger creative context. To this end, middle school studio challenges become increasingly open-ended and students have more opportunities to explore materials and ideas in which they are interested. Some favorite projects include building action figure sculptures, constructing dream bedrooms and working with an Artist-in-Residence on a permanent work of art for the school.