Drawing, Painting, Mixed Media, Ceramics
The Visual Arts at Middlesex School are an important and valued part of the curriculum. All students are exposed to visual thinking from the moment they become a part of the Middlesex community when they take drawing and art history during their freshman and sophomore year as part of the four Elements of Style introductory classes.
The art studios act like working studios where students are treated as real artists and feel ownership in both the work they make and the space where they make it. We feel that all students have creativity, ability and vision. They are given the tools to create solid foundations, materials and the freedom to explore their ideas in an active environment, and they make work that is exciting, innovative, and thoughtful.
Whether a student is interested in delving into the fundamentals of skill in figure drawing where concepts of space, line, relationships and form are explored at depth, or is interested in conceptual problem solving where they may create an installation, performance piece, or kinetic sculpture, they will find their place in the art department at Middlesex School. Printmaking, Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics, Photography, Installation, Mixed Media, Textile Design are all examples of some of the classes offered in the visual arts.
Serious art students can develop portfolios. In their senior year students have the opportunity to take AP Studio Art, in which they develop bodies of work and have solo exhibitions in the spring. These students are given private work spaces within the studios. See our course offerings in the Course Book.
Students exhibit their work throughout the year in the Cornelius Ayer Wood '13 Gallery and in Ware Hall. The Wood Gallery provides an opportunity for students to see the work of professional artists as well. Students have the opportunity to meet with the artists through visiting artist workshops, residencies or gallery talks.
The art studios are fun and lively places where students work independently and collaboratively side by side with their teachers. All of our teachers are working artists. The studios are open for all to use until check-in. Thus, the serious students really have time to engage in their latest projects, and casual students who may not even be enrolled in a class can stop by and paint for a while or try out the figure drawing class one evening.
Photography
The goal of the photography program is to assist students in developing their artistic vision through the medium of photography. Each student is encouraged to create a body of work that reveals a personal aesthetic sensibility in dialogue with the world around it. The photography classes are structured in such a way as to allow students the maximum opportunity to explore that which is of interest to them in the larger world beyond the campus. The camera becomes simultaneously a vehicle of self expression and discovery as we take advantage of the wide range of diverse environments and experiences offered by the Boston area. Throughout this process, students learn the technical aspects of the craft as they occur in specific situations in the field. The department has a number of different types of cameras for student use, each with its own implications for the picture- making process. To provide inspiration and context, students are regularly exposed to the work of the great photographic masters, both classic and contemporary.
