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King School

An independent day school educating students PreK-Grade 12

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Art and Design

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The Power of Creativity

In King School's Art and Design program, students are engaged in art-making based on observation and vision. They are encouraged to use critical thinking and to persist in exploring unique ways of executing their work.

Artistic skill-building is supported by exposure to the history of art and work from artists around the globe. Reflection and class critiques further strengthen artistic growth, and conceptual thinking. Students gain an understanding and respect for art through interacting with artists who are part of King’s Visiting Artists Program and the OPEN Mentor program. Students in all division participate in the O.P.E.N project experience: Original, Personal, Experiential, and Novel where they explore different mediums of art and create projects that are a personal expression of their interests or experiences to present to their classmates.

Areas of study include painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, ceramics, sculpture, and digital media, including photography, animation, filmmaking, web and graphic design.

In the Lower and Middle School, art classes meet two or three times per rotation.

In the Upper School, after a one semester required art class, students can choose to take Art and Design high school electives in specific disciplines or to take Advanced Art classes as a major course of study.

At the advanced level, students are guided in developing a portfolio and creating a website which are used during the college application process. 

For a full list of art and design courses and curriculum please refer to the Lower School, Middle School and Upper School curriculum guides.

Advanced Art Colloquium

Senior Advanced Art students develop a personal “theme” at the beginning of the school year on which they base all of their art. Throughout the year, their artwork evolves and becomes increasingly more sophisticated. At the end of the year, they exhibit their work in the PAC Lobby Gallery and they participate in the Senior Art Colloquium where they present their work and explain their processes to the Upper School community.

See Advanced Art Portfolios

Art and Design in Action

Visiting Artist Jeila Gueramain Meets With Lower School

As part of the King School Visiting Artists Program, artist Jeilla Gueramain kicked off her residency this week with a lower school assembly during which she discussed her artistic inspiration and process. The King School Visiting Artists Program is an opportunity to enrich, enhance and inspire the visual arts students’ experience at King, providing them with an immersive experience. 

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Practicing Creativity and Self-Expression Through the Arts

Whether preparing for an upcoming ensemble performance or pursuing an individual passion, students enjoy a range of performing arts classes at King. Take a walk through the campus’s state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center, and you will find teachers thoughtfully guiding students through lessons that focus on building a sense of community alongside technical skills.

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 Senior Artists O.P.E.N. to Self Expression at Art Colloquium

Culminating a year of self-discovery and exploration in the arts, the senior art students presented their capstone projects at the Art Colloquium, an annual arts seminar hosted in the Performing Arts Center at King School. The presentations are a result of the school’s O.P.E.N project experience: Original, Personal, Experiential, and Novel. Each year, seniors are encouraged to explore different mediums of art and create projects that are a personal expression of their interests or experiences to present to their classmates at the colloquium.

The students typically begin their projects with one idea, but the idea develops into new concepts or multiple projects as the year progresses. Jamie Munno ’22 likened the experience to the growth of a flower.

Read More about Senior Artists O.P.E.N. to Self Expression at Art Colloquium
King Artists Featured at Katonah Museum of Art

For the past 39 years, the Katonah Museum of Art has hosted a Young Artists exhibition that features the work of local high school seniors that participate in curating, installing, and promoting the exhibit for the public. Ten students from King School are participating in this year’s show, exhibiting artworks they have made in Advanced Art 3 and AP Art and Design classes taught by Ran LaPolla and David Hughes.

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Sixth Grade Students Beautify the Middle School with Line Art

The Middle School got a facelift this week when students from the sixth grade, armed with colored masking tape and their imaginations, covered the windows of the middle school atrium with line art as part of a project for art class. The project was inspired by Darel Carey, a visual artist who uses lines to create optical illusions that shape and bend the dimensions of flat surfaces and space. His art includes painted murals, digital art, and tape installations. 

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Middle School Students Perform Broadway Hits for The Show Must Go On

Middle School students rehearsed for six weeks to prepare for an exciting three-day Broadway performance aptly named The Show Must Go On! Despite the many challenges that the students faced this year with social distancing measures still in place, these young performers were able to create a virtual experience to bring the musicals to life. The show featured a combination of live solo, duet and trio performances accompanied by prerecorded full-cast and small group acts.  

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King Music Residency: Connecting Communities Through Music

King hosted its sixth annual El Sistema Residency, in which talented musicians from King's Middle and Upper Schools collaborated in intensive music workshops with visiting students of various El Sistema USA programs, including Stamford's own Project Music.

The residency's overarching focus is to inspire a deeper connection between communities of different socioeconomic backgrounds by using music as a vehicle to give voice to diverse cultural identities and amplify lived experiences.

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Outdoor Kinetic Sculpture Exhibit

The Parents’ Association Visual Arts Committee and Art and Design Department are pleased to announce the first outdoor sculpture installation on campus. Five brightly colored and wind-activated kinetic sculptures by Drew Klotz are on display in different locations around campus until mid-June. Klotz combines elements of physics, engineering, geometry, and design when creating his sculptures.

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