The Madison Country Day School's art curriculum is based on the premise that every child can be taught how to draw, paint, and sculpt.  Students are exposed to the work of a variety of artists, from Rembrandt and Dali to Native American and folk art, and are encouraged to imitate and learn from what they see and create. These approaches allow students to appreciate and demonstrate different artistic styles and interpretations, both current and classic.

Basic artistic techniques are formally taught.  Each student, however, is encouraged to be individualistic in his or her art.  The School devotes generous amounts of time to teach art including art history.

Program Goals

• To develop visual perception
• To develop visual-spacial organization
• To improve visual attention to detail
• To recognize and use the basic elements of shape in drawing realistically
• To appreciate and demonstrate different artistic styles and impressions
• To build an awareness of artists, styles, and periods
• To encourage confidence in skills and creativity of approach

Program Curriculum
The art curriculum is a drawing-based curriculum modeled on the methods of the Monart School of Art.  The focus moves from learning "to see," to guided drawing exercises, to independent drawing using the techniques learned.  All students beginning in pre-kindergarten learn the five basic elements of contour shape. Any object that a student wants to draw can be analyzed in terms of how these five elements of shape are combined.  Both the contour edges of objects and the spaces between them are represented by continual patterns of these elements.

Grade 5
Students create works independently. While reviewing elements of shape and drawing skills, they are encouraged to experiment with different media, including charcoal, conte crayons, chalk and oil pastels, various drawing and colored pencils, and watercolor. Non-drawing projects may include weavings, collage and Japanese woodblock printing. The year includes a section in art history.

Grade 6
Projects for the year include a study of tessellations, still life painting, printmaking, ink drawings, the use of a ruler and T-square in drawing, and a bas-relief sculpture. The class works on a collaborative project that becomes a permanent part of the school’s décor. The year includes a section of art history. Students also take a field trip to the Art Institute of Chicago.

Grade 7
Work includes in-depth study of architecture, perspective, batik, shading, and volume drawing as students develop advanced drawing techniques and methods. The year includes a section of art history.

Grade 8
Using an atelier approach to drawing instruction, students continue to practice and develop advanced drawing skills using pencil, charcoal, pastel, and conte crayons. They also make and glaze ceramic pieces and have the opportunity to choose an area of focus (drawing, painting, ceramics, etc.) for part of a trimester. Art history topics include a close look at Roy Lichtenstein, Jackson Pollack, Jacob Lawrence, and Romare Beardon. To further the study of architecture begun in seventh grade, students learn about the first skyscrapers, metal structures such as the Eiffel Tower, and the works of Frank Lloyd Wright. A field trip is planned to Taliesen, Frank Lloyd Wright’s estate in Spring Green, Wisconsin.