Art

Art is not what you see, but what you make others see. EDGAR DEGAS

The two-dimensional art class at Bethune utilizes many forms of media in the areas of drawing, painting and print making. Skills are introduced in a sequential, age-appropriate progression. In the third through fifth grade major and minor classes, students begin to progress at an advanced level through more frequent and smaller-sized classes than can be provided at a traditional elementary school.

In addition to art skills, students learn art vocabulary and art history, which enhance their other classroom units of study. The school provides many avenues for enrichment in the fine arts such as art prints, slides, videos, and museum field trips. At the fifth grade level, those students who wish to apply to Parkway Middle School Performing Arts Magnet will be given intensive assistance in portfolio and sketchbook preparation for the interview process.

When they asked Michelangelo how he made his statue of David, he is reported to have said,

"It is easy. You just chip away at the stone that doesn't look like David."

The student who loves art, yet finds that drawing is not his or her forte, can develop creatively by engaging in activities such as weaving, clay sculpture, paper mache', paper sculpture, paper making, wire sculpture, batik, wood construction, wax carving, copper enameling, origami, collage, basketry, puppetry, book making, and mobile making, just to name a few. There are myriads of three-dimensional projects which offer dexterity development, multi-cultural appreciation, and creative challenges, and we are pleased to offer these at Bethune.

Student artwork has been displayed at county level exhibits such as Youth in Art Month at the K.C. Wright Building, displays at the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art, and The Broward County Fair.

Bethune Elementary School of the Arts

Latosha R. Williams Principal

Theon A. Eames, Assistant Principal