Visual Arts

Hawken School’s visual arts emphasizes hands-on learning that promotes higher order thinking, and nurtures each student’s creative powers. Whether students are engaging in studio arts as independent learners or collaboratively, our department faculty as professional artists, inspire, mentor, and model a welcoming and safe atmosphere. Students and faculty alike are invited to explore their untapped creativity which connects the world around them with the richness of the visual arts tradition. Denise Buckley, visual arts chair, guides her department with the following philosophy, “We believe that the experiential nature of the artistic process, that integrates hands-on manipulation of materials with visual thinking, engages students in a deeply personal way. This affirms their own well-being while promoting the celebration of others’ unique heritage and perspectives. In addition to the classrooms, our department invites the entire upper school to celebrate their inner muses in our annual Halloween costume extravaganza.”

The Middle School Art Program is composed of a number of interdisciplinary units that correlate with other classes and consider the essential question of each grade level.  All units begin with an inquiry or problem and a set of guidelines for students to follow. The goals of the Middle School Art Department are to ensure that a student’s experience with art includes direct applications beyond the classroom; attends to the social and ethical dimensions of learning; emphasizes deep understanding; demands a disciplined approach to analysis and communication; balances collaborative and individual work; cultivates a sense of personal agency; leverages emerging technologies as a tool to enhance learning; and allows for the possibility of multiple solutions. Highlights of the program include Middle School Musical Set Design, An Evening of Art and Music, and the Biomimicry Art and Science Forum.