Each and every child possesses creative capacities. The goal of the Pegasus Visual Arts Program is to promote and develop every student’s creativity, to help each child build confidence in his or her control of materials and techniques, and to provide our students with experiences that will help build an appreciation for the arts.

This goal is achieved by:

Presenting art projects as open ended problems to solve
Allowing opportunities for students to play and take risks
Exposing the students to multiple forms of artistic media at each grade level
Encouraging multiple forms of output (not all projects need to look the same)
Including an art history or art appreciation element in each lesson
Encouraging critical judgment and critical thinking through class critiques

Forms of media that students are exposed to starting in Kindergarten:
Drawing
Collage
Painting
Printmaking
Textiles
Ceramics

Artistic Confidence. We provide our students with practice in basic artistic skills. Observation is emphasized and students practice recording what they see and imagine with a variety of media. Our lessons also give students practice in using the elements and principles of design to create strong artwork. By repeating these experiences from year to year, students gain confidence in their mastery and control of materials and techniques, which allows them to express themselves more creatively and effectively.

Thinking outside the box. The presentation of art assignments as open ended problems to solve encourages Pegasus students to think outside the box. There is not just one correct way of drawing a self portrait that shows emotion and expressive color, nor is there only one best approach for creating a soft sculpture of a musical instrument. There are as many successful outcomes possible as there are students in the classroom.

Celebrating Successes. Pegasus students also practice skills in observation and analysis through intermittent class critiques and discussions. The tone of the class critiques is always positive, highlighting the success experienced, but also providing a ground for discussing problems encountered and questions left unresolved. Our students are encouraged to use art vocabulary to dictate their observations and justify their opinions.

Appreciation of art and its artists. Art history and art appreciation are woven into the spiraling curriculum. Each lesson is inspired by an art movement, a successful artist, a key art term, and/or a world culture. Information is presented about the overarching theme to provide a base from which individual art projects will grow.
 
Experience, Explore, Develop. Through the courses provided in the art curriculum, Pegasus students receive a well rounded experience in the visual arts. By graduation, each student will have had many opportunities to gain confidence in his or her artistic skill and to explore and develop individual creativity.