Visual Arts

Philosophy

Galloway’s Visual Arts program nurtures innate creativity while guiding students in the rigorous cognition necessary to produce a work of art. All students stretch their thinking and participate in the creative process as they work in a variety of 2D and 3D art forms including drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics and sculpture.

Early Learning

Art in Early Learning is integrated across content areas and levels. All EL students are guided by a teaching artist through the planning, preparation and process necessary to complete artwork while gaining self-esteem and nurturing imagination in a relaxed atmosphere. Students experiment with tempera painting, finger-paint, drawing, clay, sculpture, charcoal, printing, paper-mache and water color while discovering line, shape, texture, color and space. They are exposed to the life and styles of artists through artists-in-residence, a history timeline, creating projects within a variety of styles, attending special exhibitions and workshops at the High Museum of Art and museums throughout the region.

Middle Learning

All Middle Learning students in grades 5 and 6 improve their fine-motor and thinking skills through projects that range from three-dimensional sculpture, drawing and painting to computer art applications. They learn the elements of art and principles of design as they work using a two-step process in which students first explore new media and then step back and revise and edit a final piece. As students progress through 7thand 8thgrade arts electives, they are introduced to a wider variety of art experiences, tools and processes. Lessons often provide interdisciplinary connections to social studies, language arts and science curriculum and may include field trips to view art or additional work with artists-in-residence. Students also gain practice in the five steps of art criticism as they learning how to discuss the formal qualities of art.

Upper Learning

Visual Arts elective classes offer students the chance to use critical thinking skills to solve problems as they approach creating artwork led by an outstanding Visual Arts Faculty. Classes offered include introductory classes in 2D and 3D art, intermediate classes in painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, graphic design and ceramics and advanced classes including AP Art and AP Art History. Students are provided opportunities to fearlessly try new avenues of expression or deepen their mastery of their own chosen discipline.Arts-Integrated projects appear throughout the UL curriculum in such diverse arenas as world languages, geometry, science and literature. Students also gain real-world experience curating exhibits for the Galloway Gallery and exhibitions and arts festivals in the greater Atlanta area.

Students interested in pursuing visual arts beyond the school day also participate in curating the spring show held annually in the Galloway Gallery.

Faculty biographies can be found here.

Extracurricular arts activities