Visual Arts

The visual arts are an integral part of Suffield Academy’s curriculum. When you walk into the Tremaine Visual Arts Center, you will find artists pursuing a variety of interests—from painting and drawing to drafting, photography, ceramics, and sculpture. The foundation of the teaching philosophy in the arts department is the belief that everyone has potential.

Here, self-inquiry begins and fundamental skills are taught and learned. Teachers work closely with individual students to find their strengths. Students work independently, but with close faculty mentoring, and explore and develop their own ideas. Artistic expression is believed to be the impetus of self-expression, which is the cornerstone of a liberal arts education. At Suffield, we believe educational processes that deny humanity's artistic nature limit what and how we learn. The visual arts program encourages students to examine the artist's methods and learn how the artist thinks. The curriculum is supportive of both students with less experience tapping into their creative resources and those with remarkable talent.

Suffield’s visual arts curriculum teaches students to:

• Acknowledge the artists within themselves
• Acquire fundamental skills and develop authentic artistic expression
• Understand that the skills needed by the artist are related to those used by scholars in other disciplines