Art

Art I is a first year foundation course that introduces formal design tools and media through the use of process-based strategies that fold together extensive ideation practices, awareness of emerging visual language, informed innovation, and energized creativity in an inspiring, media-plenty art studio. Art one is a prerequisite for Art II.

Art II is a second year foundation course that continues the studies of Art I. This course advances the exploration of formal design tools, media, and visual communication strategies in more advanced and complex ways. Articulation of message and a refinement of technical skills are at the heart of this process-oriented class. Art II is a prerequisite for Photography I, Digital Media, and Studio Art.

This course is an honors level studio practice that utilizes Design Thinking practices to explore advanced design theory through rigorous projects that inspire innovative problem solving, issue finding, and visual communication skills. Projects are structure to encourage rich experimentation, which significantly nurtures students’ visual languages. Studio Art is a prerequisite for Advanced Placement Studio Art.

This is a beginning course that explores the hand-built engineering of ceramic sculpture, wheel thrown form, surface application, and design. Students develop an understanding of the structural nature of clay and how to successfully create content driven work in this plastic and culturally rich medium. Our studio is equipped with both electric and kick-wheels for wheel thrown vessels, and various types of hand-building equipment aid in the creation of ceramic sculpture.

This course is an introduction to black & white photography with an emphasis on camera operation, darkroom techniques, exposure, film, and composition. Students learn to utilize the medium of photography as a mode of creative expression that helps them gain problem-solving abilities, experience in informed criticism, observational skills, and a greater understanding of the cultural context in which their work and historical works were created.

Photography II is an intermediate black and white laboratory course that instructs students in technical photographic processes and concepts while inspiring the creative exploration of imagery informed by the student’s own experiences. In addition to advanced traditional film and darkroom techniques, students will explore alternative processes that produce innovative, lens-based artwork. Students will also be introduced to digital photography as a serious art form through CS5’s Adobe Photoshop application and the flexibility of digital camera manipulation. Students will learn to present their work in a professional manner with the creation of a final twelve-piece portfolio representing a personal investigation.

Digital Design is a course introducing the use of various forms of technology as a tool for visual communication. Students will become familiar with the concepts and complexity of graphic design for product and web end use through the utilization of Adobe CS5 applications. Innovative marketing strategies that drive our visual culture, the symbiosis of experimental product design and science, and the work of contemporary digital media artists are some of the important areas covered in this course.

Advanced Placement History of Art provides a survey of selected works of painting, sculpture, and architecture from the Paleolithic era to the present, within and beyond the European tradition. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of perceptual and critical skill, the analysis and interpretation of style and meaning, and the ability to relate works to visual traditions and historical contexts. Accordingly, art history involves substantial review of broader trends in history and the humanities, and brings to bear students’ prior learning in several allied fields.

Advanced Placement Studio Art is a rigorous course focused on the production of a final portfolio of each student’s highest achievements in the visual arts that will be submitted to the College Board for assessment. This course offers students the opportunity to develop a unified body of work in great depth, address the unique nature of each student’s visual language, and share her clear understanding of effective design strategies.