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Visual Arts

The visual arts at Rowland Hall help students develop creative and analytical skills that deepen learning across disciplines and encourage thoughtful exploration.

A strong foundation begins with core artistic elements: color, line, texture, form, and shape. As students progress, this early groundwork expands into more advanced studio practices, growing artistic literacy, and increasingly intentional forms of expression that reflect their interests and developing points of view.

An Upper School student paints a large canvas in a visual arts classroom.
Middle School students create vibrant watercolor artwork during art class.

Studio Art (Two-Dimensional Design)

Studio art at Rowland Hall is a hands-on, process-based exploration of visual expression, where students learn techniques, experiment with materials, and develop both technical and conceptual skill.

In Middle School, students work in drawing and painting while building confidence as creative problem-solvers and discovering their artistic voices. In the Upper School, the program expands across media, including advanced drawing and painting, as well as printmaking, assemblage, and color theory. Advanced Placement Studio Art provides a rigorous, yearlong environment for dedicated artists to pursue mastery through sustained practice and creative risk-taking.

Three-Dimensional Design

Three-dimensional design classes invite students to explore form, space, and material through hands-on, project-based work.

In the Middle School, students build foundational skills as they investigate the elements of art and principles of design while studying traditional and contemporary artists. In the Upper School, students extend that work through sculpture, experimenting with materials ranging from clay and wood to found and recycled objects. As students design and refine their pieces, they develop a sculptural vocabulary, strengthen spatial thinking, and learn how three-dimensional art can communicate ideas while also exploring the cultural and historical role of sculpture.

An Upper School student adjusts a kinetic sculpture during an arts showcase.
An Upper School student paints expressive lines on a large mural.

A Middle School student carves details into a clay bowl in ceramics class.
A Middle School student carefully shapes a clay bowl on a spinning pottery wheel during hands-on ceramics class.

Ceramics

A study of ceramics helps students build focus and creative confidence through hands-on work with form and material.

Beginning in Middle School, students learn handbuilding and wheel-throwing as they gain familiarity with clay and studio tools. Through guided projects, they explore how form is created and how different techniques shape results. In the Upper School, students deepen their practice through courses that encourage experimentation and personal style. Classes bring together artists at different levels, creating a studio environment where students learn from one another while strengthening their technique. Finished ceramics are regularly displayed in the Larimer Center gallery, sharing student work with the school community.

Unique Art Offerings

In addition to traditional arts classes, Rowland Hall offers distinctive courses that give students more room to experiment and stretch creatively.

A Middle School student uses a mallet to shape a metal cone during a hands-on metal arts class.

Metal Arts

One of the Middle School’s most popular classes, Metal Arts allows students to learn metalsmithing techniques like riveting and polishing to design and fabricate jewelry.

Rowland Hall students and a teacher stand together in front of a colorful mural they painted, smiling on campus in Salt Lake City.

Public Art

In Public Art, Middle School students explore the local and global impact of murals, sculpture, and environmental art. They also collaborate on a unique design project and create pieces for display on campus.

Lower School student smiles while holding a colorful handmade bird mask during art class at Rowland Hall.

Visual Arts in the Beginning and Lower Schools

Visual art in the early grades is rooted in joyful exploration. Children experiment with materials and techniques, and discover the excitement of making something entirely their own. In the Beginning School, students draw, paint, and create with a wide range of media, developing a sense of themselves as artists. As they move into the Lower School, their work becomes more intentional: students study artists and cultures from around the world and practice foundational skills while expressing ideas through both two- and three-dimensional projects. From vibrant paintings to sculptural pieces like papier-mâché masks for the beloved annual Lower School mask parade, these experiences nurture creativity and prepare students for the richer artistic opportunities awaiting them in middle and high school.

Arts in the Beginning School   Arts in the Lower School

Visual Arts Faculty

Students’ talents are nurtured by experienced, passionate artists.

Christa Brigdon

Christa Brigdon

French and Metal Arts Teacher
Kathryn Czarnecki

Kathryn Czarnecki

Art Teacher
Rob Mellor

Rob Mellor

AP Studio Art, Art Appreciation
Maike Wells

Maike Wells

MS/US Visual Arts Teacher
Anne Wolfer

Anne Wolfer

Visual Art and US Yearbook Teacher