Visual Art
Art is the freedom of the individual, the freedom of expression. It is not just a subject to learn but one that you can practice with your eyes,your hands and your whole personality.A language which helps to build a balanced personality and a wider understanding of life.
At Mountrath Community School our Art Department offers an environment and working ethos where students will be able to:
- Develop their creativity and imagination through visual, tactile and sensory experiences.
- Develop practical, technical and critical skills and use visual and tactile language to communicate ideas, sentiments and meanings.
- Learn to make value judgments and aesthetic and practical decisions and become actively involved in shaping environments.
- Explore ideas and meanings in the work of artists, craftspeople and designers and learn about the diverse roles and functions of art, craft and design in the contemporary world and across different times and cultures.
Our students will work in a caring, stimulating environment where individual needs of students are addressed and where students will develop confidence in their work and to add to their stimulating working areas.
Our Visual Art department here at Mountrath Community School fully covers the Art curriculum at both Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle.
Junior Cycle Visual Art
The Junior Cycle Visual Art course is project based. Pupils will learn key skills in drawing and painting through investigation and observation of the world around them and through imaginative work.
They will learn a variety of new crafts including ceramics, batik, printmaking, textiles and puppetry and will have access to a wide range of drawing and painting and 3-D media. They will be introduced to art history and will learn to make links between their own work and that of other artists, designers and craft workers.
They will learn how to work independently and be self motivated. They will also develop skills in time management and planning through individual, self led project work. Pupils are encouraged from first year to develop self awareness and critical thinking through assessment of their own work and group work. Click here to visit Junior Cycle Art curriculum.
Junior Cycle Visual Art key documents link:
http://www.jct.ie/visual_art/key_documents
Transition Year Art 
A number of creative options are offered under the personal development and enrichment programmes in Transition Year. Art, Craft and Junk Kouture are offered as separate modular courses by the Art department.
These courses offer pupils who are encountering arts and crafts for the first time an opportunity to develop their creative skills. It also offers an opportunity to test their aptitude for the subject before considering it for Leaving Cert. For pupils who have studied art for Junior Cycle find that these courses offer the freedom to explore new skills and media without the constraints of an exam curriculum.
Personal skills developed through the Transition Year Art programmes include teamwork, imagination and creativity, problem solving, self-motivation and organisation.
We value in our students the qualities of imagination, creativity and originality.
Senior Cycle
The Leaving Cert Art curriculum consists of two main components – practical and written.
The practical component of the course develops pupils’ skills in drawing, design and craft. Pupils at Mountrath CS are encouraged to take advantage of the wide range of media and craft disciplines on offer to them in order to reach their full potential. Crafts on offer include Batik, Calligraphy, Lino Printing, Poster Design, Puppetry, Embroidery,Wood Carving and Weaving.
The written component of the curriculum focuses on Appreciation of Art, which accounts for 30% of the overall mark for Leaving Certificate. The Appreciation of Art focuses on developing pupils’ awareness and appreciation of the world around them. It fosters an understanding of product design, ergonomics, architecture and town planning, film and animation, public spaces and sculpture; and museums, galleries and interpretative centres. Throughout the course pupils are taken to galleries and museums and are encouraged to visit galleries at home on a regular basis and abroad when the opportunity arises.
Link to new leaving cert. curriculm https://www.curriculumonline.ie/getmedia/d809df63-51e4-43dc-b091-3c5f18a8312d/Leaving-Certificate-Art-Specification_EN.pdf
These are some useful sites, whether you want to find a picture, learn about an artist or find out how to use acrylics, you'll find a site here that will help you do it!!
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