Art
The Upper School Art Program provides depth and breadth—students are introduced to appropriate skills and concepts that gradually build in complexity. Through the exploration of various materials and media, students investigate formal and conceptual issues with increasing independence. We are concerned not only with the making of art but also with the development of critical thinking, visual literacy and art history awareness. Using a problem-solving format, criteria are first presented and examined, and then students develop individual solutions to answer assigned problems creatively. Each assignment culminates in a group critique in which students use appropriate visual arts language to inform their critical thinking. Students learn to recognize quality and to appreciate the uniqueness and diversity of effective responses.
A Note on Making an Art Major
Courses
ART310 Foundation
required minor | grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
This course is designed to introduce and investigate visual concepts. These concepts of 2D and 3D composition include line, plane, negative/positive space, perspective, color, value and figure/ground. Each unit of study is tailored to build technical skill and theoretical understanding, as well as to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills regardless of prior experience. Through critiques, students learn to use a visual vocabulary to analyze formal issues. Successful completion of this course is a prerequisite for all subsequent Art courses.
ART830 Color & Design
minor elective | grades: 10, 11, 12
prerequisite: Foundation
In this course, students concentrate on how color and design can be used to describe and communicate ideas through visual means. We investigate color as it can be used emotionally and psychologically for practical and poetic ends. Students will study layout and design, using elements of realistic and abstract form. Assignments emphasize creative problem solving and varying conceptual exercises, the solutions to which may be used for school publications. Multiple techniques and media will be used including collage, drawing, painting and digital media. Skill development will underlay all of our studies. Enrollment limited to 12 students per section.
ART840 Drawing & Painting
minor elective | grades: 10, 11, 12
prerequisite: Foundation
The year will begin with drawing. We will define drawing in many ways, from the observed and structural to the expressive and conceptual. A variety of media will be introduced throughout the course. Painting will follow as a natural outgrowth, with a focus on color, value and materials. There will be continual emphasis on the traditional subjects of figure, landscape, and still life, as well as on the first steps the young artist takes in finding their own subjects and style. Enrollment limited to 12 students per section.
ART880 Creative Furniture Making
minor elective | grades: 10, 11, 12
prerequisite: Foundation
This class will focus on creative furniture making. Students will learn traditional woodworking techniques while practicing discipline, patience, and problem-solving skills. With a strong emphasis on safety, students will develop a practical understanding of hand tools and learn to operate a table saw, band saw, miter saw, routing table, and power tools. Students will first learn about joinery focusing on the mortise and tenon followed by designing and creating a scale drawing. Students will undertake a major furniture project determined by their interests and skills. Enrollment is limited to 10 students.
ART810 3-Dimensional Art
minor elective | grades: 10, 11, 12
prerequisite: Foundation
This studio course is an introduction to building three-dimensional forms. Emphasis is placed on creatively solving problems and communicating ideas through the use of a variety of materials including chipboard, plaster, wood, metal, and found objects. We will learn methods of casting, sculpting, shaping, joining materials to make sculptural forms. Students will also learn how to safely handle power tools. As we move through the projects, we will analyze contemporary and historical examples of art or design that incorporate similar methods. Each project will allow the students to develop their own way of handling the material and the development of their own expressive voice. Because enrollment is limited to twelve students per section, students electing this course should specify a 2nd /3rd art course choice when they sign up. Enrollment limited to 12 students per section.
ART860 Digital Art
minor elective | grades: 10, 11, 12
prerequisite: Foundation
This digital lab course introduces the computer as an artistic tool for drawing, painting and collage. We will take advantage of aspects that are unique to digital drawing, such as layering, scaling, the incorporation of photography, and working with states of revision. This course is about expanding the narrative possibilities of image-making through contemporary processes of edition and image construction using Photoshop and Illustrator. Students will be exposed to advanced methods of editing still and moving images, video and animation. Because space is limited, students electing this course should specify a 2nd/3rd art course choice when they sign up. Enrollment limited to 12 students per section.
ART850 Photography I
minor elective | grades: 11, 12
prerequisite: Foundation
This is an introductory course that explores the technical and aesthetic possibilities of the photograph. Students will first master the skills of black-and-white darkroom photography; an introduction to digital images and alternative photographic processes will follow. Throughout the course, attention will be paid to the content and composition of photographs, as students solve problems in portraiture, documentary, studio photography and social commentary. A limited number of school cameras are available for students on an as-needed basis. Because space is limited, students electing this course should specify a 2nd/3rd art course choice when they sign up. Enrollment limited to 12 students per section.
ART920 Photo II: The Journey Continues
minor elective | Grade 12
prerequisite: Photography I
The Journey Continues provides students the opportunity to grow as artists. Building on their foundational knowledge in the darkroom and the digital lab, students will explore new creative approaches to the medium and learn advanced technical skills as they experiment with light and ways of seeing. As students build their photographic portfolios, they will look critically not only at their own work but also at the work of renowned photographers. The Journey Continues classroom provides students their own computers and workspace, offering them the time, space, and occasion to organize their portfolios for the college admissions process. At the end of the year, each student will create a final presentation in a form of their own choosing. Enrollment limited to 12 students per section.
ART610 Senior Studio: Advanced
major elective | grade: 12
prerequisite:Foundation plus one of the following: Drawing & Painting; Color & Design; Digital Collage; Photography or 3-Dimensional Art. Drawing & Painting, and Art History are strongly recommended as preparation; departmental approval required
This advanced studio course stresses the development of technical and aesthetic skills, and the development of original, personal vision. Both classical and contemporary approaches to visual arts will receive attention with particular emphasis on personal expression through the synthesis of formal considerations. Other areas of study include color theory, abstraction, observational, conceptual, and narrative work. Guidance and support is provided for the preparation of a strong portfolio for college admissions. Regular homework and some reading and critical writing are required. Enrollment limited to 12 students per section, and will be determined by a portfolio evaluation plus one directed assignment.
ART731 Art History: Nature, Spirit, and Religion
minor elective | grades: 10, 11, 12
prerequisite: Foundation
This course will use the structure of themed inquiry to look at western and non-western art across history. Artworks will be studied through the lens of “Nature, Spirit, and Religion” allowing students to explore the role of art in shaping the human experience, across various cultures and periods of history, in relation to expressions of religion, spirit and the natural world. The themes that will be examined under this lens will be: Beauty and the Human Form, Animals and Spirits, The Natural World: Land and Sea, Representation/Identity, Sexuality and Art.
The major goal of this course is to give students a grounding in looking at art and making sense of what they see. As they learn the skills of observation, analysis, and interpretation, students examine the stylistic, iconographic and technical development of architecture, painting, sculpture, and craft art.
Themes will be on a two-year rotation, allowing students to take the course twice. Art History: The Individual and Society will be offered in 2021-22.