DMPS Visual Arts Department
Updated April 2025
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Des Moines Public Schools K-12 Student Learning Objectives in the Visual Arts 
  • Students can communicate at a foundational level in the visual arts. This includes knowledge and skills in the use of basic vocabularies, materials, tools, techniques, and intellectual methods of the discipline.
  • Students can communicate proficiently in at least one art form, including the ability to define and solve artistic problems with insight, reason, and technical proficiency.
  • Students can develop foundational evaluations and analyses of works of art from structural, historical, and cultural perspectives.
  • Students can develop an informed acquaintance with exemplary works of art from a variety of cultures and historical periods, and a basic understanding of historical development in the arts disciplines, across the arts as a whole, and within cultures.

Effective Components of an Educational Studio Program

  • Demonstrations of artistic techniques and uses of media
  • Opportunities for practice, experimentation, and refinement based on effective feedback
  • Support for divergent thinking and multiple learning outcomes
  • A rich and robust variety of visual references
  • A variety of critique and response formats
  • Introductions to and expectations for use of appropriate art vocabulary
  • Connections among artists, careers, and art in everyday life and communities
  • An organizational system for storage and disbursement of materials and tools
  • Clear and maintained expectations for art room safety, cleaning, and classroom procedures
  • Integrations and connections with other content areas
  • Displays of various student works within the school and the community
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High School Visual Art Curriculum Guides
Visual Art Course Pathways
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Des Moines Public Schools
Visual Arts Curriculum Department