Archmere's Dedicated Art Department

Gabriella Gildea ‘21
Written by Gabriella Gildea ‘21

Archmere Academy artists are always hard at work in the Manor throughout the school day - whether they are painting, sculpting, drawing, or working with digital media. This year, Archmere won the most Fine Art awards in the Delaware Regional Scholastic Art Competition - 138 awards in 12 Art and Design categories. ​The obvious success of Archmere artists in this contest was due to the creative abilities and talents of Archmere students combined with the dedication of Archmere’s fine art teachers in this difficult year for in-person learning and art classes. ​
Archmere's outstanding art teachers foster creativity and artistic development by structuring their class so that combined with technical instruction, students are given the freedom to work with subjects and ideas that draw their interest. The teachers provide engaging media demonstrations as well as classwork and assignments that allow students to experiment and find their artistic voice.

As a senior in Mrs. Silverman’s AP 2D Design and Painting classes, one of the things that I think has recently made the Archmere art department so special and valuable during the current pandemic is its ability to shift from in-person classes in the Manor to a remote environment. When it is not possible for classes to meet in the Manor in person, Archmere allows students to easily connect to the art classes at home. The art department provides easily transportable art kit boxes for every individual student to bring their art supplies and projects home and back to school. Another useful tool that has been implemented this year with virtual classes is phone clamps that allow students to capture their artistic process easily on Zoom during class to show their teachers and peers. These allow students to position their phone cameras to directly face their artwork as they work during class without having to pause to move their camera around to show their teachers. These resources show Archmere’s dedication to its art program and its student artists during these times of uncertainty.
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Archmere Academy is a private, Catholic, college preparatory co-educational academy,
grades 9-12 founded in 1932 by the Norbertine Fathers.