Philosophy
Historically, visual arts evoke the conscious human expression by which individuals in a culture record themselves. The visual arts have been, throughout our human history, an essential part of documentation. Art as a visual manifest gives the individual tools by which to communicate knowledge and experience. The visual arts are a means of expressing ideas and ideals significant to the individual in society.
The Enfield Public Schools Visual Arts Department adopted the National/Connecticut State Content Standards and Goals in our Kindergarten through Senior High School Curriculum. These Content Standards are designed to provide a framework for thinking about the knowledge, skills, and understanding that students should have as a result of a visual arts education. Visual art standards specify connections between analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of works of art. The current visual arts curriculum intends to promote the development of visual thinking skills and encourage creative problem solving. The visual arts curriculum provides creative experiences, which challenge the student developmentally in appropriate measure.
The established visual arts curriculum has been designed to respect the needs of diverse groups of students as well as individuals under teacher direction. The studio environment will promote an understanding and appreciation of the visual arts. Through lectures, visual, demonstrations, and interactive hands-on experiences the teacher will expose students to a variety of concepts, media, and techniques. This receptive atmosphere will promote creative thinking and problem solving and it will make these skills relevant to life experiences.