Art
Welcome to The Madeleine! My name is Mia Howell, and this will be my third
year teaching art at this school. I have been teaching children of all ages
for the past decade. I have an undergraduate degree from Middlebury College
(Vermont), in Studio Art and a minor in Teacher Education. I am an Oregon Certified
K-6th grade primary teacher as well as a K-12 Art Teacher. Recently, I was
commissioned by my high school, Green Mountain Valley School, Vermont, to paint
a watercolor landscape for their new library. Other than my teaching experience
and work, I enjoy wind-surfing and skiing with my family, consisting of a wonderful
husband, two children (6 and 2 years old), and one dog.
Art at The Madeleine is a creative, problem solving, relaxing, and sometimes
messy environment for the children to learn new ways of visual expression.
The art program is designed to combine art perception, production, heritage,
and criticism into one comprehensive curriculum. Kindergarten through
5th grade students learn the elements and principles of design through projects.
They will learn about the famous Masters and use their techniques to explore
different mediums, such as drawing, painting, sculpture, and printmaking. Sixth
through 8th grade begin the year by learning formal drawing and work their
way through other mediums such as charcoal, colored pencils, and pastels. Similar
to the lower grades, the middle school students explore famous Masters and
their techniques in painting, sculpture, and printmaking toward the middle
and the end of the year.
In the spring, we have a school-wide art show to learn about art criticism and
appreciation through exhibition. The Madeleine School art program nurtures and
fosters the whole artistic mind in our students. Who knows – we may have the
next Picasso or Rembrandt on our hands?