ART CORPS™ is a comprehensive, developmental curriculum, which teaches art fundamentals by bringing process oriented hands-on art experiences to the classroom. Since 1990 the ART CORPS™ program has been taught at several San Diego area schools. It is uniquely designed to provide onsite workshops that prepare parent volunteers to go into the classroom and provide art lessons to children in grades K-8.

There are 8 training workshops per grade level per year. In the first 7 lessons, a concept of art is explored through examples of famous art and a project focused on that concept. In the final lesson each year a famous artist is featured whose artwork is used to inspire a project for the children. A variety of mediums and art genres are explored.

ART CORPS™ is truly more than a curriculum. It is a parent-teacher partnership. It is a school-wide effort that involves many parents volunteering their time. It provides a forum for children to feel successful and to do so in a public way through an annual school wide event–the Art Show. Additionally it provides children with an appreciation and exposure to art in a positive non-judgmental way, giving them skills they will have for the rest of their lives.

While parent volunteers move on when their children leave the school, ART CORPS™ is there each year to provide continuity and stability to the art program. We provide step-by-step illustrated lesson manuals, reference material, regular consultation throughout each school year, and a comprehensive administration manual provides everything needed to implement the program.

For more information please contact us at marilyn.artcorps@gmail.com

PHILOSOPHY
We believe that everyone is an artist. Art gives our children a unique opportunity to react to their environment. This program allows every child to experience their artistic abilities in a positive way. It also gives them a chance to develop individuality and self-esteem. Anyone can feel comfortable with art because there is no such thing as a mistake. There are no right or wrong answers. In a class of 35 children, there should be 35 unique results to the lesson being taught.

Children are encouraged to experiment, take chances, explore, and test new ideas. This gives children a sense of freedom that they do not always find in reading, writing and arithmetic. We believe that this same freedom and experimentation enhances these other subjects. Children need opportunities to develop creatively and analytically in order to reach their full potential.

In a world that is becoming more and more technologically complex and structured, art gives children a unique opportunity to exercise their creative abilities in a fun non-competitive atmosphere. Our goal is that each child and volunteer feels good about their experience with art and feels good about themselves.

LESSON OBJECTIVES

LINE
To develop awareness of line and its many variations and possibilities in our surroundings and in artwork.

SHAPE
To develop awareness of shape in our surroundings, and to create an interesting composition using shapes with contrasting colors, patterns, sizes and textures

VALUE
To develop awareness of the values of a color and how to make colors lighter or darker, and to create artwork, which uses color value in an interesting way

SPACE
To develop awareness of space in artwork and the difference between positive and negative space, and to learn how space can be broken down into areas, which can work separately and together

COLOR
To develop awareness of primary, secondary and tertiary colors and the proper methods of working with paint and paint supplies, and to learn to mix and use primary colors to make secondary and tertiary colors.

TEXTURE
To develop awareness of texture in our surroundings and in art, and to learn how the surface “feeling” of an object can be translated visually by artists using various techniques.

COMPOSITION
To develop awareness of “the whole picture,” and to use each element of art- line, color, shape, space, value and texture- separately and together to create an interesting composition

FAMOUS ARTIST
To learn about the life and work of an artist and to create a piece of art in the style of that artist

For more information please contact us at artcorpsinfo@gmail.com