Arts

American Renaissance School {ARS} is an arts based charter school in Downtown Statesville, North Carolina. We believe the arts are crucial to a well-rounded education, and ARS provides its students with a vibrant mixture of visual arts, theater, and music throughout their K-8 classroom experience. Additional opportunities include chorus (grades 3-6) and drama club (grades 5-8), plus involvement in the Downtown Statesville Art Crawls.

Music
Music at ARS is about discovering and developing each child’s musical abilities. Through activities involving singing, playing instruments, composing, improvising, movement, and guided listening each child’s enthusiasm for music is encouraged. Experiences are designed to promote the students’ progress in music literacy and music responses (physical, intellectual, and emotional) at the appropriate levels. Opportunities are sought to relate other subjects ( social studies, art, reading, math, etc.) to the music experiences. As children progress with their individual skills, in later grades emphasis is placed on communal music experiences in Chorus and Band. In these ensembles, students realize that their part contributes to a much greater whole as they all work towards the same goal.

Chorus is for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students who love to sing!
Rehearsals are Tuesdays from 3:30 – 4:20.
Performances take place in December and April.
Contact Mrs. Rogers with questions at sarah.rogers@arsnc.org

Theatre
Theatre at ARS is a combination of movement, vocal training, improvisation, scripted work, and script writing. It also includes technical aspects such as make-up, prop construction, costume design, scene design, and scene painting. Theatre allows our students to gain confidence in themselves, to think outside the box, cultivate creativity without judgement, and, in the process, become more supportive and more empathic towards their peers.

Visual Arts
Visual Arts students at ARS explore traditional fine arts, such as drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, and sculpture; they also delve into other media such as ceramics, wood, and fibers. Furthermore, our learners are introduced to media arts (including film, graphic communications, and animation) and emerging technologies (such as architectural, environmental, and industrial arts). We want our students to be creative thinkers and understand that when they use their imagination, they can accomplish anything. Creativity is connected to everything.

Black Box Theater

Our Versatile Black Box Theater:
A Hub of Creativity and Community

Step into our intimate 88-seat black box theater, a dynamic space that serves as the heart of our school’s creative and collaborative spirit. This flexible venue is home to a wide range of activities, making it an invaluable resource for our students and the wider community.

A Stage for Student Growth:

• Elementary Theater Program: Watch our youngest performers shine as they develop their talents on stage.

• School Performances: Enjoy captivating chorus concerts and other school productions that showcase our students’
artistic abilities.

Beyond the Stage:

• Virtual Field Trips: Explore the world from the comfort of our theater with our state-of-the-art short-throw projector and PA system, perfect for immersive virtual learning experiences.

• Meetings and Presentations: Utilize our adaptable space for school meetings, presentations, and workshops.

• PBIS Rewards: Celebrate student achievements and foster a positive school culture with special events and rewards in our theater.

Community Partnerships:

• Piedmont Folkways: We are proud to partner with Piedmont Folkways, bringing in visiting artists who share their passion for music with our students through engaging performances and discussions.

• Theatre Statesville: Our collaboration with Theatre Statesville provides our students with unique opportunities to experience community theater, as they use our black box as a performance venue and present shows exclusively for our student body.

Flexible and Equipped:

Our black box theater is a truly versatile space, offering:

• Flexible seating configurations to accommodate a variety of events.

• A high-quality short-throw projector for clear and engaging visuals.

• A professional PA system for excellent sound quality.

Facility Rental:

Interested in renting our black box theater for your next event? Contact us at facilityrental@arsnc.org to inquire about availability and rates.

Principal’s Art

Each year the middle school principal chooses an artwork created by a graduating 8th grader for purchase by the school. These wonderful pieces are displayed in the front of the middle school and also the STEM/Arts Center.