The Lower School program is designed as disciplined-based, a phrase first used in the Getty Foundation Report which emphasized the importance of art education for today's children.

The visual arts convey knowledge and meaning through two-and three-dimensional forms, such as painting, drawing, photography,sculpture, architecture, technology, and product design. The ability to understand the meanings communicated by these visual forms requires instruction that teaches children how to understand them.

Disciplined-based art education emphasizes four major areas of study:

Personal Expression and Response

• Self-expression in two-and three-dimensional forms
• Creative Problem Solving
• Media and Skill Development
• Evaluation
• Visual Concepts and Developments
• Design Elements
• Design Principles

Artistic Heritage

• Artists and Illustrators
• Architects
• Craftsmen
• Designers
• City Planners
• Landscape Designers
• Cultural Styles Through:
  • Gallery and Museum Visits
  • Studio Visits
  • Artists' Visits
  • Classroom Lessons
  • Art History

Art in Society

• Cultures through Arts and Artifacts
• Interdisciplinary Connections

Aesthetic Judgement

Learning to critique the arts with appropriate vocabulary and concepts