Cascade Locks Community School Art

    At Cascade Locks Community School, art is for everyone.  Anyone from kindergarten to twelfth grade with a willingness to learn can  successfully express creativity, master materials and use the elements and principles of design as tools for visual communication.  By the time students graduate, they will have had the opportunity to work with charcoal, pastels, paint, digital photography, ceramics, textiles, print making, book making, and experimental media.  They will have viewed the work of master artists from around the world and will have participated in formal critiques to analyze their own work and the work of fellow students.  Throughout the year, students also have many opportunities to display their work to the public at venues such as the school concerts, the Dalles Art Center, Cascade Locks events, and the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River.  Student art is also entered in various competitions such as the Mid Columbia Juried Student Art Competition at the Dalles Art Center, The Congressional Art Competition run by Greg Walden's office, and the National Scholastic Art Competition.  Click on the Award Winners link to view student art that has been honored in competitions. 

    In Elementary Art, emphasis is placed on learning the basic elements and principles of design and understanding the unique nature of each medium we explore.   At the middle school level, students continue working with the elements and principles of design, but students also begin to explore a variety of ways to generate ideas for art.  Students work from journals, poetry, and visual brainstorms to develop their own palette of imagery.  At Cascade Locks Community School, students at all grade levels also have the opportunity to create art designed to be of service to others.  Click on the Community Art link to see collaborative art pieces created by students for the community.   At the high school level, students have the opportunity to create a professional artist portfolio in the Advanced Placement Studio Art Class.  Final portfolios are judged by   the College Board, and students whose portfolios pass the evaluation may receive college credit for the class.  This class works exclusively in digital media.  You can see past completed portfolios and work in progress if you click on the AP Art:2D Design link.  In High School Art, students who have had several years of art design their own projects using materials and ideas of their choosing.  Click on High School Art to see these projects. 

    Jump in and see what we've been up to!  May you be inspired to express yourself as well!