Holy Child Art Studio Expands into the Outdoors

One of our favorite things about Holy Child is our emphasis on the fine arts as that is a crucial component of a Catholic, Classical approach to educating the whole child. We enjoy filling our students with wonder and giving them multiple opportunities to gaze on what is true, good and beautiful.  In true fashion, our art teacher, Mrs. Daugherty, is hard to beat. She emphasizes observation drawing or what is better known as drawing from life. This entails giving students three-dimensional objects to observe and render faithfully in different media.  When possible, we venture outdoors in order to sketch en plein air. It helps that we are nestled in the Sandia mountains, giving our students the perfect venue for their three-week tree study. They began with watercolor and pastel painting from model trees.  After that, we moved outdoors for a great adventure in sketching.

In addition, our art classes present unique opportunities for our students to study great works of art form the Western Canon. In particular, we emphasize pieces that are already hanging in our hallway. Here, we see one of our Fourth-Graders studying Rogier van der Weyden’s, The Descent from the Cross. Students received a lesson on the ten personages in the painting. Our hope is that they will forever be changed when they imagine Good Friday in their prayer time. Art can speak louder than words when we are trying to convey to our students how much love our savior poured forth for us. Indeed, our Art Studio is one of places where the Ignatian practices of gazing and resting happen at a profound level for our students. We think St. Ignatius would be proud!

While COVID-19 does present us with some logistical challenges in the classroom, there is nothing we can’t manage. Our children are so eager and focused, that we already have a wonderful fall full of art and beauty underneath our belts.