Empowering students with language-based learning differences
Arts
Arts
Arts at Siena
Siena Honors Creativity
The Arts are infused into every aspect of life at Siena. Students study photography, drawing and painting, music, drama, film, claymation and more. The arts are also integrated into academic classes on a daily basis—from English to math to foreign language—as Siena engages the visual and creative strengths of its students throughout the school day.
Exploring Your Strengths
Siena’s art programs encourage students to explore their individual interests and strengths. Whether music, photography, fine art or drama, every art class involves four critical elements: artistic technique, history, critique, and student independence. Teachers help students to explore a wide variety of mediums while providing them strong background in basic techniques and theory. Students work with our accomplished instructors to discover where their interests lie and build upon their experiences and work each year, producing exceptional fine art, music, and photography. Siena student work has won awards in various area competitions, including:
Washington School of Photography annual competition
Fotoweek DC
Congressional Arts Competition
Photoworks Youth Photography Competition
Drexel High School Photography Competition
In addition to classroom instruction, students typically take a range of arts-based field
trips to several of the outstanding cultural institutions in the area. Typical trips include such events as: the Nutcracker ballet at the Kennedy Center, a visit to the National Gallery of Art, interactive and participatory theater workshops at The Folger Theater, symphonic performances and many others.
Siena maintains an "Artist-in-Residence" to further develop and strengthen the school's ties with the contemporary art community. The artist-in-residence is an accomplished professional artist who annually organizes student art exhibitions, and creates a commissioned piece for the school.
Virtual Arts Exhibition, 2024
On April 25, 2024, Siena hosted its fourth annual Virtual Arts Exhibition to help celebrate its diverse community of artists. The full show featured over 90 pieces from Siena students, faculty & staff, parents, grandparents, and others across our Silver Spring and Northern Virginia campuses. Here are some of the students' pieces: