The Visual Arts

Admissions

"Westminster School seeks curious and engaged students who want to grow and learn in a challenging and supportive environment. Students who are motivated to become their best selves both in and out of the classroom, taking advantage of the myriad of opportunities Westminster has to offer."

Miles Bailey ’94

Dean of Admissions

About

“At Westminster, we aspire to an extraordinarily ambitious commitment to secondary education, a commitment to nurture the participation of our diverse school community across our entire program — from academics, to studios and labs, gyms, fields and rink, and service to our Hartford community partners. Westminster students are inspired by opportunities to make a difference in all their endeavors.”

Elaine White

Head of School

Arts

"Visual and performing artists at Westminster gain an understanding of traditions and methods while gaining confidence, analytical thinking and public presentation skills. Students also learn self-expression, collaboration and leadership while supportive faculty instill a lifelong appreciation of the arts."

David Chrzanowski
Head of Visual and Performing Arts Department

Athletics

"Athletic success at Westminster is measured not only by wins and losses, but through the bonds created between teammates and coaches, individual and team improvement, and personal growth. When students learn how to be competitors and how to cooperate with one another, they are better prepared to be citizens of the global world."

Tim Joncas '00
Director of Athletics

Hartford Partnerships

"Driven by a desire to serve young people and aware of the obligation of a private school to serve a public purpose, Westminster School's mission statement concludes with the call ‘to commit to a life of service beyond self.’ Westminster's Hartford partnership programs are the outgrowth of that mission with a direct impact on the young people of Hartford."

Kathleen Devaney
Executive Director, Hartford Partnerships and Horizons at Westminster

Student Life

“Involvement will be the key to your success at Westminster School. Get involved with the arts, try a sport you've never played, start your own club, run for student council. You will get out of this experience exactly what you put into it. Do these things early in your life — keep seeking more opportunities for growth.”

A-men Rasheed

Dean of Student Life

Visual Arts at Westminster

Arts classes range from Introduction to Studio Arts, where ideas are fostered through a student’s personal vision and approached through formal and conceptual means, to Architecture where living and working spaces are planned, to AP Studio Art where the most motivated and able students create art to go into a portfolio that is assessed against student work from the whole country. Our photographers also capture in a split second images that are long lasting. The history of art and architecture informs the creative process and serves as a source of insight. Westminster’s visual arts teachers are working artists, architects and photographers and they bring to the classroom a multitude of experiences. Whether they’re painting or sculpting in the Hamilton Art Studios, working at drafting boards in the Engineering and Design classroom, creating digital art in a computer lab in Armour, or building sets, stringing lights, or choreographing dances in Werner Centennial Center, Westminster students find innumerable ways to explore their creativity. In addition, students frequently get the opportunity to learn from visiting performers and artists in master-class settings.

As part of Westminster’s commitment to the arts, all Third Form students are required to take Introduction to the Visual and Performing Arts. Meeting twice-weekly for this team-taught, pass/fail class, Third Formers experience a rich introduction to visual arts, music and theater.

For many students, Westminster studio arts offer an opportunity to follow their creative spirit; for many others, our program nurtures a lifelong interest, leading some students to recent acceptances into selective college art programs such as Rhode Island School of Design, The Art Institute of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon, Syracuse University, and Trinity College.

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