The Ethel Walker School Visual Arts program allows students to satisfy the basic human need for personal expression and the community need for display, celebration and communication. The program provides students with the opportunity to develop their knowledge of a visual vocabulary and an understanding of visual organization. The department attempts to satisfy student demand with a variety of offerings. Seasonal art exhibitions on campus, visits to art museums throughout the season, and exploration of different media allow the sharing of student work and opportunity to grow artistically.
Walker's arts facilities are exemplary: Large, light-filled studios with plenty of space for materials, areas for sculpture, photography, and spectacular campus vistas provide plenty of inspiration for the artist in any student.
Art for a CauseWalker's hosts an Empty Bowls Project, with students, faculty, parents, alumnae and friends of the School pitching in on the pottery wheel to produce hundreds of handcrafted bowls which are then offered for sale. Proceeds from this annual event benefit the Manna Food Pantry and the Connecticut Humane Society.
Walker's students can focus on a variety of areas in the Visual Arts: drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, textile arts, 3D design, and digital photography.
These options engage students who are new to the visual arts as well as serious art students looking to explore advanced concepts. Anyone wishing to create a foundation portfolio either for an art school or for the supplemental materials portion of a liberal arts school should discuss their interests with any of the art instructors.
Courses in this department:
This course explores the basic modes of visual expression, which may include drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, textile arts, and ceramics. Coursework is designed to help each student develop her own identity through art, as well as self-confidence and independence. The curriculum connects with the Middle School program of study whenever possible and provides a well-rounded artistic basis for Upper School-level visual art courses.
Required for all students in grades 6-8
This course allows 6-8 students to develop the photographic and compositional skills needed to create a graphic essay on the life of the school, the official school yearbook, Pepperpot. Students will receive additional responsibilities and take greater leadership roles each time the course is taken.
Grades 9-12
Fall Semester
Credit: .5
Sculpture is the art of using materials to transform an idea into a real object. This course will explore numerous media, such as clay, wood, wire, fabric, paper and found objects, to transform ideas into a 3-dimensional forms, Students will be introduced to the elements and principles of design, historical and contemporary sculpture and beginning techniques of molding and construction. Students will be asked to think outside the box and be daring with their creative ideas. This course may be taken multiple times due to the numerous sculpture techniques and process that are available to explore. Each semester will offer different techniques.
Grades 9-12
This is a required course for students wishing to take AP 3-D Design
Credit: .5
Advanced Studio is designed for the student who has completed at least one visual art course and will set personal goals that stretch them beyond their previous art experiences. Students may work in a variety of techniques and media, from dress making, printmaking to wire sculpture. Students planning on taking either AP 2D Design or 3D Design during Advanced Studio can begin building a portfolio for the AP Studio Art portfolio.
Grades 10-12
May Enroll Multiple Semesters
Prerequisite: One art course and Teacher Recommendation
Credit: .5 per semester
The body of work required for AP submission in this course includes a wide variety of 2D images including collage, prints, drawings, paintings and a variety of digital media. Students are expected to work with a high level of independence with the support of an instructor.
Grades 11-12
Prerequisite: Departmental approval and Advanced Studio or a portfolio of 5 pieces of art
Credit: 1
A wide range of 3-Dimensional pieces are required for submission in a portfolio to the national AP board. Works ranging from ceramics, wood, fabric and metal sculpture, textiles and other pieces are produced by students working at a very high level of independence with the support of an instructor.
Grades 11-12
Prerequisite: Intro to Sculpture and Departmental approval
Credit: 1
A variety of 2-Dimensional, hand drawing techniques are reinforced through the creation of an extensive portfolio of images as required by the national AP Drawing curriculum. Printmaking, collage and other forms of 2-D art are required for inclusion in this portfolio produced by students who are able to work independently with the guide of an instructor.
Grades 11-12
Credit: 1
