Visual Arts Education
Art offers a way for students to expand the way they view and experience the world.
Arts education is highly valued at ICS. Our visual arts program strives to unify student learning in the arts so that art is not taught as an isolated activity, but one that is integral to human experience. Artistic exploration also connects with and supports other areas of inquiry in the classroom.
“I believe that art is vital to both our existence and our education.”
—Ms. Alison, Visual arts teacher
Visual Arts Skills
ICS’s art program includes skill development in drawing, painting, printmaking, design, sculpture, textiles, and other media. Students develop their communication and critical thinking skills through visual, verbal, and written expression. All students have art class once every three days for 45 minutes.
The art curriculum is led by Alison M. Plump, MFA, NBCT, and is aligned with the National Core Arts Standards. Students are taught using a spiral curriculum in which they will see the same topics throughout their school career, with each encounter increasing in complexity and reinforcing previous learning.
This approach revisits the same topics each year, building on previous knowledge and skills to create confident and visually articulate artists, thinkers, and problem-solvers.
Some of the ways visual art projects may connect to IB units:
Kindergarten – Beginning & End of Year Portraits / How We Express Ourselves
1st Grade – Moon Cycles / Where We Are in Place and Time
2nd Grade – Maps / Where We Are in Place and Time
3rd Grade – Food Chains/Webs / Where We Are in Place and Time
4th Grade – Aesthetics/Museum Visit / How We Express Ourselves
5th Grade – Quilting Project / How the World Works