Art Instruction at Santa Catalina School

Communication is more dependent on visual means than ever before. In the Visual Arts Department, our purpose is to provide opportunities for every student to gain the ability to observe intelligently and comment informatively upon visual stimuli. Self-awareness, disipline, motivation, visual literacy, cultural competency, technical skill, ideation, constructive criticism, eloquent use of the language of art, and an awareness of the power of art speaking are goals that inform successful student learning.

Foundation courses have been designed to develop competence in the use of the elements of art and the principles of design with a strong emphasis in drawing and an introduction to various media. Advanced courses support an aggressive pursuit of technical skill improvement that helps to enable the development of the student's ability to express herself as well as an awareness of and command of her visual language. In all classes, the encouragement of invention and discovery leads to greater creativity and a rich imagination that contribute significantly to successful communication.

Curriculum

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Art 1

Art I is a foundation course where students are introduced to the elements of art and the principles of design through experience in drawing, painting, ceramics, and sculpture. Students will begin the process of becoming proficient in technical skills that utilize the potential of art making tools, which will ultimately help students communicate their intentions in their artworks. Through brief introductions to the history of drawing, painting, ceramics, and sculpture, each student will begin to develop a sense of her unique visual language as it relates to art history and the culture in which it was made. Creativity and the imagination are strongly nurtured as important experience based tools that are necessary to successful problem solving of all kinds. The reinforcement of drawing is threaded through out all of the projects in Art I and is echoed in weekly sketchbook assignments. Group critiques and written assessments of artwork are incorporated to help students learn to communicate using the language of art.

Art 2

Art II goals are to nurture and develop the basic two and three dimensional art making skills introduced in Art I. Students will focus on the exploration of more advanced uses of the elements of art, principles of design and a wider variety of media used in projects of greater length and complexity. An introduction to the contributions of art made by women through the ages and specifically the Feminist Art Movement, late 20th century art and music, contemporary art, and art originating from the Spiritual experience will contribute to a better understanding of the aesthetic experience and the student's rightful place in the history of art. Group critiques and written assessments of artwork will help students gain a better understanding of and ability to communicate the language of art.

Black and White Photography 1

Photo I is an introductory black & white laboratory course with emphasis on camera operation, exposure, film and composition. In this course, students will develop an understanding of photography as an art medium, its historical importance and criticism.

Black and White Photography 2

Photography II is an intermediate black and white laboratory course that develops photographic concepts based on the student's own thoughts and experiences. An emphasis will be placed on exhibition preparation, critiques, and portfolio presentation. Camera and darkroom operations will be reviewed.

Ceramics

This course is a beginning course in ceramics. Students will begin the process of becoming proficient in the technical aspects of working with clay and develop their own aesthetic sense. The aim of this course is to master beginning hand-building and throwing skills while exploring decorative and glazing techniques. Through brief introductions to the rich history of ceramics and different cultural approaches in which it is used, students will begin to develop a sense of aesthetic as it relates to design, form, and function. Creativity and the imagination are strongly nurtured as significant experience based tools that are important in successful problem solving of all kinds. Sketchbooks are used as an idea source and tool. Group critiques are incorporated to help students learn to communicate in the language of art.

Studio Art

Studio Art is an advanced course that will concentrate on preparing students for the demanding challenge of the Advanced Placement Studio Art Portfolio course. Students will review advanced concepts in the formal aspects of art making, conceptual ideas of the 20th century, and the use of a wide variety of media. The focus of this course will be to develop an understanding of the student's own visual language and to encourage and challenge the growth of her unique language. A wide breadth of aesthetic experiences will help implement the creation of an organized portfolio of artworks that may be used in the Advanced Placement Studio Art course. Students will learn proper care and storage of artwork.

Studio Art AP

Advanced Placement Studio Art is a course that is not based on a written examination. Instead, it is a course based on the creation of a substantial portfolio of selected artworks that is submitted to a distinguished board of art professionals for evaluation. Drawing, 2-D Design, and 3-D Design are the three distinct areas from which a student may choose as the focus of her portfolio. Only one area may be chosen per year. The AP Portfolios consist of original artwork (with the exception of the 3-D Design Portfolio), professional quality slides of artwork, and an artist's statement in response to specific questions asked by the AP Board. The general structure of the portfolios covers two contrasting areas: breadth and concentration. In the breadth section a wide range of aesthetic experiences and use of media increases the students exposure to endless possibilities in art making. In contrast, the concentration section directs the student's focus on the exploration of one idea. The artworks created in this section must show clear evidence of an evolution of the original idea. AP Studio Art is structured to give highly motivated students an opportunity to create a portfolio that reflects the student's fundamental competence and range of understanding of visual concerns and methodology and at the same time identify and develop her visual language.