Intent
At Mereside CE Primary Academy, we aim to provide a high-quality art curriculum that fosters pupils’ autonomy, creativity, imagination and resilience. Art lessons will provide pupils’ opportunities to learn about the history of art, how this has evolved and those involved with these changes. Additionally, it will provided openings to other cultures. Opportunities to appreciate and reflect will support our children in viewing themselves as global citizens who celebrate and value diversity. Lessons will be closely linked to other curriculum areas to help reinforce and enhance learning, whilst acquiring techniques and skills to apply to their final pieces and reflections. Art should enable the children to communicate what they see, feel and think. Our art education will promote discussion, sense of expression and questioning with the aim to motivate our children to continue to thrive in our fast-changing world as artists beyond primary education.
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” – Pablo Picasso
Implementation
At Mereside CE Primary Academy, we use Access Art to support our decision-making.
We aim to cover the seven main elements of Art: line, colour, texture, form, shape, value and space. This will be achieved through, drawing, painting, printing, sculpting, textiles and collage. From EYFS to year 6 the children will look at complex skills isolated to build technical control, automaticity and proficiency. The units will develop, build and challenge pupils by re-encountering knowledge.
We will guide and help children feel confident to take creative risks and express their identity through art. The children will have the option to choose the medium they use in their work, especially for their final piece. There might be specific tasks or technical work, which requires one medium to be used but this would be during the beginning of the session.
Elements of lessons and units:
Media and materials.
Methods and techniques.
Processes.
Formal elements and principles of Art.
Technical language. Drawing representationally, (drawing/making something look exactly like the real object).
Drawing expressively (taking ideas/inspiration from artists to create work).
Drawing outside of expectations. Mark making – warm up exercises, technical skills.
Apply to object/subject then own choice of object/ subject.
Theory and artists – concepts page/ideas, annotations.
Final piece – apply ideas and techniques.
Evaluations.
Artist study is a very important part of our art curriculum. The children will study a range of artists that show progression through history, different genders, celebrate local achievements and most importantly from different cultures. When studying artists (KS2), two or more will be looked at in each unit, one for KS1. The artists will be compared (similarities and differences) the children will discuss the connections, meanings and interpretations of their work.