A Montessori art studio or general Montessori environment using the MAM curriculum has many art form activities that are two- or three-dimensional that allow for a breadth of experiences. Also included are activities that demystify how art is made, how art reflects life in different periods of time, and how an idea can be expressed differently -- all of which allow for a depth of understanding. In Montessori art education, both breadth and depth are controlled by each child. Some children sample all art forms and go back to those that most interested them. Children also choose one or more special work activities which is part of their contract. In my studio they were asked to do special work every time they came to the studio.

This course is a continuation of the MAM Curriculum Section Art Forms I, presenting additional fundamental forms. Some art forms were brought to my attention by parents and became perennial favorites with the children and myself.

Georgie Story

The head of the art education department at my university said at the beginning of her series of classes that a complete curriculum was possible if all you had to work with was paint and clay. Children would develop a deep understanding of making both two- and three-dimensional art. Traditional Art Education at that time described the perfect curriculum as having both breadth and depth. Both of these characteristics were controlled by the teacher. Breadth means that children would have the opportunity to creatively express themselves using a wide range of art forms using a wide range of materials. Depth meant that children exposed to an art form again and again would increase their skill with that art form. Depth also meant the children’s complete exposure to the many factors that influence the understanding of how art is created (see Special Work, in Understanding Art — I and II).  In the Montessori environment, both these characteristics are controlled by the child.