Art
"The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."
Proverbs 16:9
It is the purpose of the Art Curriculum to help students discover the ways the Creator's image is reflected in His Creation. Though "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), man still retains God-given abilities to create new images and forms. Concentrated studies in art history and culture are aimed at teaching students how man has used this creativeness to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ through whom "all things were made. and without Him nothing was made that was made" (John 1:3) . Projects are aimed at guiding students in the discovery of their God-given talents and on improving their skills to appreciate art and express themselves artistically as it pleases God.
The goals of instruction are as follows:
- to help students appreciate the beauty and design in God's world;
- to help students appreciate the manner in which different people groups express their cultures and viewpoints through the visual arts, both past and present;
- to encourage students to build new concepts and images upon the foundations of the past and the elements of art;
- to develop students' emerging God-given abilities to express their thoughts and feelings in a variety of formats and media; and
- to influence students to employ their talents and abilities to honor and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.
Some or all of the classes will work with pastel chalk, oil pastels, watercolors, tempera and clay. There is a wide use of colored markers, crayons and colored pencils. Each student will experiment with various artistic techniques, including drawing, painting, color theory, printmaking, and crafts.
The various art projects that the students pursue are grounded in the classical elements of art and the milestone works of art history, thus giving each student a basic understanding of art while at the same time allowing as much "hands-on" time as possible. Also, the art projects are age and grade adjusted to appropriately fit the various classes.
Each spring, Grace Academy holds its own Art Festival where each First through Sixth Grade student will have the opportunity to submit artwork. The collected artwork of each class will be evaluated by several judges, and those selected as outstanding are then entered in the regional ACSI Art Festival. In past years, Grace Academy has had many great showings and has come away with many awards and recognitions.
