Visual Arts
	Gordon is known for its exceptional art program and it is an integral part of each child's education. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade are engaged in studio art classes each week. In addition to a curriculum that exposes students to sophisticated mediums and techniques from around the world, the arts at Gordon are enhanced each year by a Visiting Artist Program. Students work closely with the visiting artist to create a project in the medium in which the visiting artist specializes. funded by the Britt Nelson Fund, visiting artists have been from the United States, Germany, Mali, and England. All students in Kindergarten through eighth grade exhibit their work in two annual art exhibitions.

	Early Childhood Students in Nursery, Preschool and Kindergarten participate in artistic activities as part of the daily classroom experience. Visual expression in one, two and three dimensions helps children to illustrate their understanding of a particular or global concept. Kindergarten students go to the art studio each week where they engage in painting, drawing, clay, collage, construction and block building. Lower School Studio art classes meet twice each week allowing Lower School students to develop their visual communication skills and their creativity. Drawing, painting, ceramics, printmaking, three-dimensional design, sculpture and textiles are just some of the mediums explored. More advanced concepts, materials and skills are introduced each year. Art history lessons, in which students study accomplished artists for inspiration and connections to classroom themes, are integrated into the curriculum. Middle School Art The enthusiastic young artists have evolved into informed adolescents who value the arts and the role they play in history and everyday life. Advanced techniques are introduced, allowing students to explore new mediums, refine their abilities and hone their observational skills. The curriculum includes principles of design, abstraction and distortion, surface, volume, proportion and form. Seventh and eighth grade students are offered an elective art program each term that focuses on a particular topic or medium.