ARTS
Forging Cultural Connections
Through the Arts
Salt & Light
f o r a Wo r l d i n N e e d
I
magine your world without art. Take a quick inventory of the art in
your life: book covers, paintings, furniture styles, stories, music,
movies, architecture, photography, ads in your favorite magazines …
app icons!
Made in God’s image — we are creative beings. Creativity shapes our en-
vironment, drives our choices, and feeds our souls. Equipping our students
to realize and develop their creativity and apply it as salt and light in the
world is the primary reason CPA takes arts education seriously.
Modeled after seminal work at the Lincoln Center in New York City and
the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D. C., the Academy builds in-
tentional encounters into every grade each year. Engaging students in ar-
tistic experiences and building their unique skills strengthens their critical
thinking and cross-curricular connections in everything. Deeper than art
appreciation, students delve into understanding the language of art and the
message it sends in light of a Christian worldview, as well as cultivating their
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Purple & Gold / September 2018
own ability to use artistic expression to convey insight and meaning about
the world around them.
Field trips, guest artists, immersive experiences, and class projects are se-
lected to meet specific objectives for each grade level. Expanding both hearts
and minds are the driving components to every interaction.
Preschool students studied the works of Matisse, Picasso, O’Keeffe
Cezanne, and others leading up to the Preschool Art Show. Presenting their
works in an exhibit allowed them to share their work and appreciate the
work of others. The projects also fostered students’ discovery of what is vi-
sually pleasing and expressive to them and new ways to speak to their world.
Upper school students took a culture connection excursion to Studio
Tenn’s The Battle of Franklin: A House Divided, offered through TPAC-
HOT programming. Extensive preparation included guest teaching artist
visits to US theatre and music classes by Carolyn German using script
excerpts to examine subtleties in music choices and character dynamics