Our Visual Arts department follows a choice-based curriculum to guide students toward the use and care of various art materials, as well as the employment of art techniques and skills. We begin with the belief that each child is innately creative and our job as art educators is to provide studio based opportunities for students to grow and hone their creative habits and skills. We include studies of a diverse range of historical and contemporary artists and art practices, not with the intention of emulating their work, but to better understand the use of art as an expression of identity and tool for social engagement. In our state of the art, dedicated Elementary Art Studio, our students develop their own creative practice and use their art to engage with the broader community.