The visual arts program at Groton provides students with various learning opportunities and experiences to acquire the skills necessary to understand and appreciate the arts. A studio-based learning approach lies at the core of Groton’s arts curriculum, emphasizing the importance of student inquiry, individual and collaborative work ethic, and experiential learning. Teachers aim to teach socially conscious and culturally relevant lessons that promote and prioritize personal narrative and voice, student agency, and self-expression. Projects are designed to enable students to address important issues through their work, challenge student thinking, and encourage students to see things from multiple perspectives. Students can expect to study and analyze historical and contemporary artists’ works from different cultural backgrounds and ethnicities. The visiting artist program allows students to work and learn alongside professional artists from various artistic disciplines. In the Art Center, students can immerse themselves in a wide range of classes such as photography, video, design, ceramics, sculpture, drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed-media art, woodworking, and advanced studio art. The visual arts program prepares students to be worldly, empathetic, and thoughtful citizens and provides them with the knowledge necessary to strive in our global society.

All Second Formers spend three terms exploring different art forms: visual arts, drama, and music. Third Formers may select from various disciplines such as Choir, Jazz Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, Art and Design, Theater, or half-credit music lessons as their required half-credit arts course. In Upper School, all students take a minimum of three credits of art in any discipline(s) to fulfill their art requirements.