LASF: My School / Elementary Art

My School: Elementary Schools

Elementary Art

Vision

LASF's art program offers students the opportunity to understand, interpret and appreciate the visual arts and to explore their creative potential through hands-on art projects. The LASF art program's emphasis is on exploration and manipulation of art materials along with an exposure to a new visual language, perceptions, materials and the world of art and artists. Each year students view and discuss various works of art from different time periods and cultures.

The LASF art instructor provides the students with the intellectual, creative and emotional experiences that connect them to a common core of knowledge and to their cultural heritage in ways not possible in any other areas of the curriculum. In this framework, the goals, objectives and teaching activities for each grade level have been designed to develop art concepts sequentially and to provide experience in various media.

As students learn to recognize, discuss and work with art, they build a foundation for making judgments about its form, content, technique and purpose. Discussion, critical analysis and observation of art provides a basis for understanding, supporting and enjoying the visual arts - now and throughout their lives.

Instructional Framework

In Kindergarten through 5th grade, students expand their knowledge of art vocabulary, elements, media and history. They develop their art skills as a means to express their personal world, ideas and emotions. LASF art instructors are dedicated to the artistic development of each student in terms of:

Artistic Perception: Students use their senses to perceive works of art, objects in nature, events and the environment. They identify visual structures and functions of art.
Creative Expression: Students develop knowledge of and artistic skills in a variety of visual arts media and technical processes. Students create original works of art.

Kindergarten

Students will develop a view of art that will provide the basis for the following years of LASF art instruction. The focus will be on discovering and identifying elements of art (line, shape, color, texture), exploration of various media, and developing beginning skills in the use of tools and processes.

1st Grade

Students' art skills grow as they develop beginning skills in portraiture, manipulation of sculpted materials, and collage. Emphasis is on reviewing the elements of art learned in Kindergarten and introducing students to form, value and repetition.

2nd Grade

The elements of art already introduced are reviewed and the meanings of their terms are extended. The students learn to use variations of these elements to translate their ideas in artistic terms. For example, they use symmetry to create visual balance, and depth (overlapping and placement in picture) to express mood and feelings.

3rd Grade

Creative expression expands in the students' artwork. They design their art projects with more conscious and deliberate planning. Their compositions now include combinations of the elements along with mixed media. Students translate three-dimensional forms to two-dimensional forms with lessons in perspective and the use of the vanishing point.

4th Grade

Using principles from previous years, students focus on refining their skills, especially in the area of drawing. They develop abilities in contour drawing, shading, crosshatching and sketching.

5th Grade

Skills are further refined and techniques are stressed for further development of students' art proficiency. Control of media leads students naturally into exploring art forms such as design (icons and logos), graphics and cartooning.

The LASF Art Fair and Display of LASF Art

The Art Fair is the highlight of the students' and instructors' year together. To ensure the selection of a broad range of art, each child has a special portfolio (large folder). These portfolios are stored in the classroom. All LASF art is placed in these portfolios and not sent home until the end of the year. In this way, all art is available for selection for the end of year Art Fair.

We encourage all art instructors to help the children make their selection of art to be displayed at the Art Fair. With guidance, the students learn how to critique art and value their own creations.

One of the highlights of the Art Fair is the Luck of the Draw program. Artwork is randomly selected from a raffle held during the spring LASF Art Fairs at each elementary school. The artisans of Fastframe of Lafayette then take these 24 pieces of art, created by our students, and work their magic. Each piece is expertly and artistically framed before traveling through the city for showings at Fastframe of Lafayette, Papillon's Cafe, Chow, and back to the elementary schools for display. The beautifully framed art work is then returned to the student to be treasured and displayed. In its fourth year, this program would not be possible without the generous support of Anthony and Mary Ruiz of Fastframe of Lafayette.

Visit the Gallery to see a selection of LASF projects created in these classes by our wonderful students!

"Directions in Art" Brochure

The information on this page is contained in the LASF brochure "Directions in Art." The brochure is available for viewing and/or printing in Adobe Acrobat "pdf" format.

The artwork on this page was reproduced from original art created by students of Lafayette public schools made in LASF art classes or in art classes supported by LASF funding.