ART AT MAIN STREET SCHOOL
"Every child is an artist."
Imagine you're standing on a hill, the wind blows softly while you gaze down at a beautiful town below. With cozy little homes and a charming white church to capture you gaze, the beautiful landscape draws you in. However, your eyes then drift heavenward. Radiant stars dance across the night sky and the heavens seem to open up. Is it real? Is it a dream? The texture and beauty make you want to step into this enchanted starry night and let a gentle breeze carry you away.
The painting described above (Starry Night) is a masterpiece created by one of the founding fathers of modern art, Vincent Van Gogh. Like many artists, Van Gogh understood the importance and value of Art as a creative avenue by which children and adults alike can express their creativity, thoughts, emotions, and more. Picasso once said "Every child is an artist." Allowing children to explore the world around them through art will not only promote creativity, but will foster diversity, confidence, perseverance, and even problem solving abilities. The benefits of art are many. Albert Einstein once suggested that "creativity is intelligence having fun." Creative and constructive fun is precisely our aim. We want to unlock the imagination and create a more beautiful world of inspirational children’s art. "Art encourages children to think and helps develop skills and confidence as they go" – MaryAnn Kohl and Barbara Zabarowski.
The art department at Main Street School challenges and teaches students to appreciate, create, and carefully examine different forms of art from all around the world. We start by teaching each child the all-important elements of art, including color, value, texture, line, shape, form and space. While learning artistic techniques through the elements of art, children at Main Street School will also discover and learn about many renowned and inspirational artists. They will learn to parallel many of the same techniques and methods that other talented artists use. As the children learn about and create their own unique works of art, many of the projects will also be used to enhance their knowledge and understanding of other subject areas as well. From using 3-D art to build a model of historical Jamestown to recreating animals and their diverse habitats, the possibilities for combining creative arts and learning are endless.
We are so proud of our little artists! And although we hope it goes without saying, our desire will always be to see each child reach her or his artistic and academic potential. When it comes to art, we all know there is no objective right or wrong. So, in addition to helping the kids hone their talents, we will also continue mastering the art of having fun!