The art program at Ruffing Montessori strives to be a positive and exciting experience for all students. The content of Ruffing Montessori’s art program is related to the major aims of contemporary art education: developing an informed appreciation of art and a life-long interest in learning more about art, as well as using art as a means of self-expression.

The content is based on the four interrelated disciplines in art: art appreciation, aesthetics, art criticism, and creative expression. Every student has the capacity and potential to develop himself/herself creatively.

Not only do students work on creative activities, but they also study art in relation to historical and cultural context and current artistic movements. An interdisciplinary approach is utilized so that the art content area is introduced and studied in relation to other content areas. Wherever possible, connections to social studies, science, language arts, math, and music are sought. Students are encouraged to see things in new ways and to feel “awakened” through their problem solving. The program over all is designed to be a hands-on experience for experiential learning.