About the Program

From Fifth through Eighth Grade each Middle School student participates in our visual arts program. Students work with a wide array of art materials, honing their skills as they work from observation, imagination and memory. Art materials students have experiences with include, but is not limited to, drawing materials, paints, clay, printmaking methods, mixed media sculpture, as well as digital media.  Trips to art museums and galleries are also an important component to the study and making of art at LREI.

In the Fifth Grade much of the art curriculum is connected to the Core Studies theme of Ancient Civilizations. Students learn about Ancient Sumer, Egypt, Greece and China. They view the art and artifacts of these cultures, using their observations to help inform their work. Symbol making and communication creates the foundation of many artistic explorations over the course of the year.

In the Sixth Grade , art experiences are connected to the study of the Middle Ages. At LREI, the Core curriculum takes a global view of this time period, spanning from 500-1500 AD. In the Middle School art studio students look to objects and art works from medieval Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East to inform their work.

In the Seventh Grade students experience art through the lens of a country in formation as they study the Colonial American experience. This is viewed from multiple perspectives which includes that of Native peoples, enslaved Africans, and the early colonizers. Students create portraits in a variety of ways, make three-dimensional dioramas of historical architecture and explore the African influence on art from the time period.

Students at LREI experience a studio intensive during their Eighth Grade year. Students have opportunities to develop personal expression and fine art skills as they utilize such materials as acrylic paints, ceramic sculpture, relief printing, and digital media including  computer art techniques and video film making.