Visual Arts

This course is designed to provide the student with the foundations of the study of art. Students will create artwork using a variety of methods, materials and techniques such as painting, drawing, sculpture and mixed media. Students will learn the basic principles and themes of art and how it can be used as a tool for communication. Students will learn a variety of skills that will allow them to move into more advanced courses in the arts.

School-wide Expectations: 1, 2A, and 4

This course is designed for students who have an interest in three-dimensional design and encourages students to develop their natural artistic talents. Students will have the opportunity to express their individual talents by completing a variety of unique and challenging projects in a multitude of 3D media. Students will learn about the evolution of sculpture and its use as one of the world’s oldest art forms. Assignments emphasize design, craftsmanship, and problem solving. Units explore the fundamentals involved in paper mache sculptures, architectural design, paper sculpture, clay construction, and relief painting.

Prerequisite: A 75 or better in Foundations of Art School-wide Expectations: 1, 4, and 5A 

This course is designed to further develop skills learned in Foundations of Art and allow students to begin to use their artistic expression as a means of communication in a more sophisticated manner. An emphasis on drawing is a large part of the course, as students will learn more advanced drawing and painting techniques and explore new artistic styles and artists to further develop their knowledge and skills in the arts. Units explore the techniques of value, color, composition and concept in a more in depth manner.

Prerequisite:  A 75 or better in Foundations of Art

School-wide Expectations: 1, 2A, and 4 

This course is designed for students who are interested in the study of Art History and its impact on the world. Students will learn about the types of art we see every day, major art movements, their characteristics, and their influence. Students will investigate many artists and apply research to understand the role that art plays throughout history. They will become “Art Critics” to formally analyze and criticize specific artworks and connect historical artworks to contemporary issues. Students will design and create studio projects to apply the themes studied in class.

Prerequisite:  A 75 or better in Foundations of Art

School-wide Expectations: 2C, 4, and 5A 

This course is for serious students who are prepared to use creative thinking, technical and artistic skills in order to complete a self-designed art portfolio to be submitted for AP scoring. Students in the the AP Studio Art Program choose from two portfolio exams—2-D Design or Drawing—corresponding to college foundation courses. Portfolios allow flexibility of coursework while guiding students to produce college-level quality, artistic investigation, and breadth of work. The 2-D Design portfolio addresses two-dimensional design issues and involves decision making about how to use the elements and principles of art in an integrative way. The Drawing portfolio addresses issues such as line quality, light and shade, rendering of form, composition, surface manipulation, the illusion of depth, and mark-making. Students’ portfolios demonstrate skills and ideas developed, refined, and applied throughout the course to produce visual compositions. Students may choose to submit any or all of the portfolios. Portfolios are evaluated based on standardized scoring descriptors aligned with skills and understanding developed in college foundation courses. Both portfolios require 24 finished pieces to be submitted for review and from those, 5 actual works sent for evaluation. Students who enroll in the AP Studio Art course should be aware that submitting their portfolio is expected. High achievement on the Advanced Placement Evaluation may qualify students for 3 college credits.

*Note: Students are required to complete 3 artworks over the summer before the course begins in the fall. The work is within the first week of class. Students will meet with the teacher at the end of the previous year to receive their summer assignments.

Prerequisite: A “B” or better in Foundations of Art, and Drawing and Painting or Sculpture and obtain written approval from the teacher

School-Wide Expectations: 1, 2, and 4 

This course is designed to teach students about the application and techniques of photograph in a rigorous, project based environment. Students will study the influence photography has had on our lives as well as the history of photography and how to use the basic settings on a camera. Students will create thoughtful projects using the Elements and Principles of Design. Students will have studio time in class to apply the knowledge learned in class to create photographs from planning stages to the final product. Students will also use photo editing programs to enhance and manipulate their images throughout the course. Class size is limited to 15 students

School-wide Expectations: 3 and 4