At the Hopkinton Middle School, students are able to experience art from two different perspectives. Students are offered two courses: Media Arts which takes place in a media-rich computer lab and Visual Arts that exists in a more traditional studio art setting. Students are enrolled one trimester a year in each of these subjects throughout their three years here.
The Media Arts course introduces students to technology as an artistic medium. By exploring multimedia software, digital cameras, scanners, drawing tablets, and other technology, students discover the creative potentials of digital media as a mode of communication and an outlet for personal expression. Students are exposed to the application of this media in real-world contexts and settings. Through creative, hands-on projects, students develop fundamental skills including problem-solving, collaboration, and critical thinking and response. In 6th grade students focus on fine art, in 7th grade, they learn about design and in 8th grade, they study photography.
Our Visual Arts course is based on the human need to explore, analyze and make choices about the world around us. In 6th grade, our curriculum is center about the student’s exploration of the elements of art. Students explore these through a series of drawing, painting and cut paper projects. In 7th grade, students build on the skills learned in grade six and further their explorations on the elements of art, how they relate to the world around them and how they related to historical and contemporary art worlds. Students begin to explore other mediums and techniques such as collage and sculpture. Concepts studies in 8th grade continue to build on the previous years. Projects involve more of the principles of design and how to apply the elements in self-expressive, creative ways. Projects are centered around the students’ thoughts and their reactions to the world around them. Students in 8th grade are also introduced to new art forms like printmaking and design.
