Art and Design
Art and Design is an integral part of every area of our everyday lives. Everything from furniture, clothes, cars, buildings, household products, industrial design and manufacture to the paintings, colours, textiles and decoration we surround ourselves with in our home environments - ALL have been created, designed or imagined by an artist or designer.
Art and Design offers experiences, together with ways of learning and communicating, which differ from those to be found in the greater part of the school curriculum.
The Department aims to offer experiences relevant to pupil's lives and to encourage pupils to become visually responsive to society.
The courses are devised to benefit pupils at all levels of ability through a variety of activities and experiences. The pupils follow Units of Work devised by the department, following national guidelines.
There are three main curricular areas:
EXPRESSIVE ACTIVITY: The expression of personal ideas, thoughts and feelings in visual terms. Pupils explore a theme. Pupils produce work in various categories, including: Drawing; Painting; Sculpture; Print-making; Three-dimensional work.
DESIGN ACTIVITY: Producing an artefact; communicating ideas and information. Pupils develop solutions through the Design Process, experimenting with ideas, materials and techniques. Technology use is developed in a variety of skill areas, including Graphic Design and Ceramics.
CRITICAL ACTIVITY: This is intended to encourage pupils to develop ideas, opinions and evaluations on their own work and the work of other artists and designers.