The Visual Arts program at Lilydale Primary School fosters imagination, creativity and skill development through the exploration of ideas, materials and techniques. Students generate and develop artworks inspired by themes, literature, artworks from diverse cultures and times, personal experiences, observations and reflections about themselves and their world.

Across the year, students engage with a broad range of practices including painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, threads and textiles, construction, modelling and collage. Through these experiences, students explore and apply the visual arts elements and principles to communicate ideas, observations and meaning.

The Visual Arts program is based on the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0, which structures learning in Visual Arts through two interrelated strands:

• Creating and Making – where students explore, develop and refine ideas, experiment with materials and techniques, and create resolved artworks.

• Exploring and Responding – where students analyse, interpret and evaluate their own and others’ artworks, considering viewpoints, contexts and visual conventions.

Students develop their understanding of visual conventions, materials, techniques and processes, while building confidence in expressing ideas and responding to artworks from diverse cultures, times and places, including First Nations Australian perspectives. Each semester, all students complete a portfolio task demonstrating their learning in both strands.

The Visual Arts program is highly valued and supported by the school and community. An annual Art Show celebrates student achievement and provides opportunities for students to present and reflect on their work for an authentic audience beyond the classroom. Through this, students strengthen their critical and creative thinking skills and develop pride in their artistic growth.