Visual Arts

How do you find your voice?

The journey through art at STAB begins in pre-school where the thrill of exploration and self-discovery through the manipulation of media and through participation in Art Print, a visual literacy program, is a fundamental part of the child’s day.

The Lower School is known for the group and community art that enlivens the building and continues to engage and teach the students and adults over the years. Integrated teaching themes that connect to classroom studies in history, science, language arts, and math build a greater understanding of connectedness and how cultures speak across time and space. Kindergarten through fourth grade students are taught by an art specialist who introduces the language of art, and helps students develop skills in seeing, exploring, interpreting, and expressing their world through a variety of two and three-dimensional media. Art Print is presented in the homeroom by parent volunteers. Students learn skills in the art room that include drawing, painting, printing, clay and other sculptural processes, jewelry-making and stitchery.

Middle School students consider some of the fundament questions inherent in making art. How can I consciously use the elements and principles of art for my design purposes? What is the creative process? What is the big idea behind the changing movements and work of famous artists? Fifth and sixth grade students take a required unit of art, while seventh and eighth graders may elect a yearlong art course or a grouping of three trimester courses that include drawing and painting, ceramics, stop-action animation, creative thinking, creative writing, and theatre.

Upper School students engage in the creative process as they learn to do more disciplined and independent work while developing their own world view and personal voice through art. Ninth through twelfth graders may elect semester long courses that include three levels of studio art, ceramics, photography, and digital photography (video). Advanced students who wish to pursue a medium in depth may enroll in Continuing Studies, AP Art, or request to design a supervised Independent Study project. Two semesters of Art History are offered through the History department.

Each year student art is displayed in the All School Art Show. Upper School students submit work for publication in Oasis, the literary magazine, and Virginia Writing. The McGuffy High School Art Show offers a juried exhibition to area high school students, and seniors exhibit their work at school during graduation week. Photography students frequently submit their work for use in the yearbook.