The First Program art curriculum was developed by the art faculty over a period of many years. The art teachers share common curricular content, goals, objectives, and assessment measures, but often sequence their curriculum units differently during the course of the school year.  On occasion, individual teachers introduce lessons that address a unique need, interest or flow within a particular group.

 

When a House comes to Art at the beginning of the school year, the children are divided into small groups of student artists. Small working groups have been an important feature of First Program Art since its earliest days. Through the year, these small groups of children work with the same art teacher in the same working area of the studio and study a variety of media, including painting, clay, drawing, collage, cardboard construction, printmaking, sewing and woodworking. This curricular structure supports the students' deep and broad learning of artistic materials, skills, techniques, and traditions, and allows teachers to know and support individual art students in great depth. The students explore the materials, learn how they work best as artists in a shared studio space, what their individual working style is, how to respect the working style of a neighbor, what kind of space helps them to engage in an idea, and how to use the materials to translate and develop their ideas in the materials.

 

We have developed teaching methods, time frames, structures, and storage arrangements to accommodate this broad and lively materials-based curriculum.  Oftentimes, students are expected to work with a particular material during class, and other times may be offered a choice of materials.  Children come to art once a week for a class of 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the grade level.  The curricular units in the art studio typically take four to eight classes to complete. 

 

The teaching of art and woodworking requires adequate space for children to move around, using their full bodies, outstretched arms, legs and hands to maneuver paintbrushes and woodworking tools with dexterity and safety.  The woodworking curriculum in particular requires an ample work zone around each table that supports the safe use of saws, hammers, screwdrivers, vises, c-clamps and hand drills. Woodworking safety requires careful supervision by teachers, and the teacher/student ratio can be no greater than 1 teacher to 7 students.  Ample work zones are also crucial in painting.  While painting, children stand, using their arms extended to create brush strokes, often stepping back to look at their work and reflect on their process.  Having the space and time to reflect on their artwork supports thinking and problem solving as the child assesses what a particular work of art will need in order to be completed.

 

Labs are not only an important feature of the Dalton Plan, but are also an important part of the First Program art studio tradition.  Art teachers and House advisors work together to determine a mutually convenient time for students to come to the studio to extend their learning or to finish working on an individual project.  Occasionally, informal labs may take place as a result of a phone call or conversation at the end of class such that the student is allowed or encouraged by the House teacher to stay a few minutes to finish an artwork.