Art at Upton Westlea

“You’re an artist when you say you are. And you’re a good artist when you make somebody else experience or feel something deep or unexpected.” — Amanda Palmer

At Upton Westlea, anyone who creates a piece of art has the right to call themselves an artist and good artists make you feeling something when looking at their work. They turn their energy and passion into something beautiful as they use their ideas, creativity and skills to create something that resonates with others. Art is a way of expressing ourselves and our ideas to the world and sharing it with those around us. Through their participation in art and design children learn to explore their imaginations, generate ideas, acquire skills and apply judgments. It a subject where children develop knowledge and understanding as well as their skills as they learn about the materials, techniques and artists, designers and craftspeople.

Spiritual - The children are introduces to work of great artists and experiences awe and wonder at their achievements of these great work of art. They also experiences admiration and respect of the work of their classmates and understand that a high standard of work does not happen immediately but requires persistence and a belief they can do it. Art and Design also constantly encourages children to use their imagination and creativity in their learning as they develop their knowledge, understanding skills and techniques.

Moral - The children are encouraged to look at work of other artists and classmates and give their viewpoint. As a school we encouraged mutual respect and consideration for the work of others throughout the teaching and learning in art and design. Children are encouraged to be considerate to other people’s feelings when assessing their work and develop an understanding of how their comments can encourage and motivate children rather than damage their self-esteem. We also encourage children to justify their opinion and give construct feedback to others on how to improve their art work, maintaining that art can be created by anyone and comes in many forms.

Social - Children’s art work is celebrated throughout the school and is displayed in many areas. Children can work independently and collaboratively in pairs or groups to develop pieces of art that expresses the ideas, creativity and personalities of the group as well as the skills the children have developed. This also develops the values of trust, compassion and respect for the group’s views and ideas. Children also discuss a range of artists, designer, craftspeople and architects’ work which encourages and develops positive communication skills.

Cultural - Children across the school are given the opportunity to explore themes involving a variety of cultures and civilizations from around the world. They lead to a greater understanding of the ways of life and respect for the cultures that can be different from their own. The combination of art work between our own and other cultures leads the children to integrate designs, patterns and themes in their own work which has been developed by a deeper understanding of the culture studied.

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