Visual Art

The visual arts have always played an important role in students being able to express their understanding of often challenging and complex ideas. Rick Jacobsen, an art specialist at TPS since 2005, describes how one such project animates the study of ancient Greece.

The art program at TPS has grown from a single art studio to three studios, with one dedicated to early childhood art education. Neesa Becker- Procaccino, long tenured art teacher, adds “While TPS has grown with more art teachers and art spaces, the mission of the art program to explore, integrate, and excite lives on.” And, while a rabbit no longer lives in the Second Floor Art Studio, many of the projects have become rites of passage, completed by generations of TPS graduates. One of those projects is the ancient Greek ceramic vessel project.

This project “scores” points for its beautiful outcome, “squishes” together many disciplines, and “smoothly” joins many pieces of progressive art education at TPS into a sophisticated unit of study. Students connect their project to the traditions and art of others, both historical and contemporary. They learn skills through experimentation. Student artwork reflects learning in all-school themes, classroom studies, and cultural studies.

TPS students learn the historical eras and methods of ancient Greek pottery. They learn from art historians about the uses of the vessels and the myths decorating their exteriors. Students visit museums in the city to see actual art objects and connect them to work they are doing with their own hands.

Students create long lasting artwork that blends their own ideas with specific skills. They build these skills by experimentation that begins in preschool art classes and is built upon each year. When they begin their Greek vessels, they have already used various ceramic handbuilding techniques and are ready for a challenging multi-month project. They re-interpret the classical shapes and designs to create their own style and infuse the work with new meanings.

Art projects are purposefully planned with all-school and classroom themes in mind. Children are immersed in studies across disciplines that enrich their understanding and experience. In the art studios children can make tangible objects that reflect their learning. Neesa states, “Projects were often based on the all-school theme but also allowed for the art department to complement what was being studied in individual classrooms.” The Greek vessels tell the story of both the students’ capability with clay and their knowledge of ancient Greek myth. It is something that links them across centuries and with hundreds of TPS graduates across the years.