Review: ARTistic Pursuits Art Curriculum

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Highlights of the Curriculum

• Teaches how artists observe the world and methods and materials they use to represent it in their art. 
• Short reading by parent introduces the new concept for the lesson. 
• A full-color artwork is included to observe and discuss the lesson’s concept. 
• Historical and cultural lessons are often incorporated.
• Student projects guide the children in applying what they’ve learned and observed to create a unique piece of art. 

We started doing more lessons (or repeating them) at other times during the week because they were so enjoyable and easy to do. I get all the materials out for the project and the kids listen and look at the pictures while I read the text. This only takes about five minutes. The project work after that takes between 10 and 20 minutes, depending on how into it the kids get. 

• Organization: I really love how the curriculum is organized. The concepts are introduced in the initial short reading, a composition is looked at in the beautiful pictures that are included, and then the project applies what is learned. Same format every time so that it is easy to implement and we know what to expect. 

• Full-Color Pictures: This is really a big feature for us. You can see samples on the ARTistic Pursuits site. Being able to look at the high-quality pictures of famous artwork, cave drawings, tapestries, etc., really gives the kids a chance to see how the concepts can be applied. The questions in the book are great for discussion.

• Materials: We love the new art materials introduced by the curriculum (watercolor crayons, self-hardening clay, chalk pastels, and more). However, purchasing new supplies was required. ARTistic Pursuits provides art supply packs through their site and a discount through Blick Art Materials (you can see that information and a list of supplies here). I found it cheaper to piece together my own art supply pack using coupons from a local craft store and a few purchases from Amazon. Sometimes I purchased the brands recommended on the list, and other times I purchased cheaper brands. This has not caused us any problems so far!

• The Way They See It (Preschool) 
• Early Elementary K-3, Book 1: Introduction to the Visual Arts  (this is what we use)
• Early Elementary K-3, Book 2: Stories of Artists and Their Art
• Early Elementary K-3, Book 3: Modern Painting and Sculpture 
• Elementary 4-5, Book 1: The Elements of Art and Composition
• Elementary 4-5, Book 2: Color and Composition 
• Sculpture Technique: Construct
• Sculpture Technique: Model