View a gallery of student artwork

Upper school visual arts program embraces the possibilities of technology
Across the curriculum, computer technology is opening up new possibilities for great teaching. The influence of new technology extends even to the art studio, where visual arts teacher David Miller has been introducing his upper school students to both traditional and electronic media. As the recent art show demonstrated, our students are using both technological and traditional tools to create exciting work.

This year, graphic design student Margaret Schmidt won third place in the Summit design contest (below left), and graphic design students Christena Burell and Rian Miller created covers for this year’s and next year’s Summer Stretch catalogs (Christena’s design is below center).

In addition, students in Studio I and II mix technology with traditional processes to silk screen images, enhance their work, and plan paintings such as the work above right by Zeric Mason, which is now on display in the Commons. Senior Christena Burell has been also creating a variety of fine art and graphic works using new computer equipment donated to the art department by the Glassman family (below left). The other work below is by alumni Doug Friedman (center) and Katie Glassman (right).

According to Mr. Miller, he plans to continue finding ways to integrate technology into the fine arts curriculum. Some of his ideas include a 2-D design class that uses drawing, painting, and computer software to teach basic design elements, principles, and techniques; using technology and digital processes to create displays of student art throughout the campus; and providing increased opportunities for advanced students to explore the professional applications and opportunities available in computer-assisted design.

Commons art installation features upper school artists
If you've been in the Commons lately, you've probably noticed the wonderful artwork hanging above the main serving line. These paintings were created by upper school studio art students Stephanie Smith, Karley Reibling, Sam Loewen, Katie Glass, David Niswonger, Zeric Mason, and Christena Burell (below). Some of their work is also pictured below. Thanks to these talented artists for sharing their creativity with KCD!

Youngsters turn cookies into works of art
There were a lot of “finger lickin’ good” moments in the lower school art room on Tuesday, December 18. JK and kindergarten students worked with special guest Mary Wetherby to decorate gingerbread men. Ms. Wetherby, owner and pastry chef of The Sugar Woods, worked with students to help them transform their cookies into works of art!

Visual arts program provides opportunities for students
In the area of visual arts, KCD offers students opportunities usually found only at much larger schools. In addition to drawing and painting, upper school students can take courses ranging from graphic design to photography to ceramics. In cases where a student's interest leads them outside the standard curriculum, our teachers are often able to work with students to accommodate those interests.

This was the case this year with senior John Clay, whose love of working with tools led him to pursue an interest in stone carving. Working with upper school art teachers Maggie Towne and David Miller, John has begun working with a compressor and stone cutting chisels to create some small sculptural pieces for his Studio Art class.

Both Mr. Miller and Ms. Towne also make a point of making connections between coursework and real world examples of professionals making a living in the arts. This fall, for instance, Ms. Towne took a group of students to visit the studio of potter Laura Ross. Students Eleanor Watkins, Lincoln Giesel, and John Clay had the opportunity to meet a professional ceramicist and to explore a working artist's studio.

New equipment expands opportunities for film students
The recent addition of new video editing equipment has made life a lot more interesting for students in Rudy Keel's film class. Two new desktop workstations, both fully equipped with professional quality hardware and software designed for digital video editing, have greatly increased the scope of the projects students can attempt. According to Mr. Keel, the new workstations have allowed students to create film projects that are both more complex and more technically ambitious.

Mr. Keel's film class is available to upper school students as a fine arts elective. In the process of planning and completing their film projects, students learn about the mechanics of filmmaking and distribution as well as film types, genres, and styles. In addition to the practical experience of shooting video, the class explores the uses of lighting, camera angle, aperture settings, and digital editing effects to elevate the visual quality of the films.

Student art gives Lower School "Curb Appeal"
The lower school hallways will soon be filled with colorful creatures thanks to the second annual Curb Appeal project. Last year, students painted the doorways of each classroom with bright colors to create a warm and inviting atmosphere in the lower school halls. Students also painted a variety of creatures and flower name plates to decorate the colorful curbs. Once again this year, lower school art teacher Becky Gallion is helping lower schoolers create painted name plates to hang outside their classroom doors. In these pictures, third graders label some of the completed name plates.

Drawing students get some practice in the fresh air
David Miller's Drawing Foundations class took advantage of the beautiful fall weather recently to spend some time outside drawing. For this exercise in perspective, students practiced close observation in order to capture the angles and shapes of the Frazier Upper School on paper.

Students view historic photos at Speed exhibit
On Thursday, September 6, twenty-six fine arts students made a visit to the Speed Art Museum to see an exhibition of some of the most famous photographs ever taken. The students were members of art history, film, and studio art classes taught by Michael Goldberg, Rudy Keel, David Miller, and Maggie Towne.

The exhibit, titled The Best of Photography and Film: from the George Eastman House Collection, includes high points in the history of photography, from early daguerreotypes up to the present day. Different galleries focused on different genres of photography such as early portraits, natural scenes, war photography, the industrial revolution, and photography as an artistic statement. There was also a gallery devoted to early cinema. The exhibit allowed students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to examine some of the most famous photographs in history up close.