Art Program

Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC)

The visual art experience begins with our five-day Nursery School students. These students have weekly 30-minute art lessons in their classrooms. Our Preschoolers have art every three weeks for an hour and a half block. This allows for a more individualized, small group instruction. The Kindergarten classes have weekly 30-minute classes.

The ECLC art program focuses on the process, not the product. Children are introduced to various art mediums while developing their artistic skills. The art projects are integrated with the grade level curriculums.

Lower School

Students in grades one through four have weekly 40-minute classes for the entire year. The Lower School (LS) art program focuses on learning about famous artists and the art elements of design while exploring different mediums (including 2-D and 3-D work). Integration with the classroom units is an integral part of the art curriculum.

LS students’ artwork is showcased in various art exhibits and contests throughout the year, both on and off campus. Some of the events include the annual State Fair Student Art Show, the South Carolina Independent School Association Student Art Exhibit and the Safe Kids Calendar Contest. First- through fourth-graders may also express their creative talents by participating in our after-school LS Art Club!

Intermediate/Middle School

Intermediate/Middle School (I/MS) visual art students are exposed to a vast array of artistic mediums covering two- and three-dimensional work. Grades six through eight meet three days a week for nine weeks, while fifth-graders participate three days a week for twelve weeks. Typically, in this concentrated study, three to five pieces of high quality projects are produced.

In addition to these classes, students participate in an Integrated Arts/Science/Humanities project. These projects are enhanced with input from City of Columbia businesses and visiting artists. Each grade level also visits The Columbia Museum of Art, touring a show relevant to their classroom studies and participating in a hands-on studio project.

Upper School

The Upper School (US) art program is split into several different sections. Each one of these classes incorporates a unique balance between expected levels of quality production and individual creative freedom. Art 1, Art 2, and Studio/AP Art are a progressive series of courses designed to teach the skills utilized for intentional image creation. Ceramics is a primarily three-dimensional exploration of the sculptural and utilitarian mediums of clays and glazes. Art in Society is offered as a critical theory course designed to explore the meaning and importance of art throughout history.