Art

An Art Major is comprised of two art minors taken simultaneously. These two courses make up an Art Major. At course sign-up, students in grades 10-12 wishing to create an Art Major should select their two minors and also select ART790 Art Major.

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  Sculpture
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.

ART870  Mixed Media Animation
minor elective | grades: 10, 11, 12 | prerequisite: Foundation
This course introduces students to a variety of traditional and contemporary techniques in animation. Looking at examples of animations in art and film, as well as nonfiction topics such as science and history, students learn hand-drawn, stop-motion and digital methods for making their own animations. Story building will be key in developing ideas for production. Students also learn to edit the animations and incorporate sound effects and music. Throughout the course, students produce a series of short animated sequences using a variety of techniques, themes, and media as they explore how these choices impact their stories. These works build to one or more major projects. A historical overview and international perspective are provided through film screenings and group discussion, and students review and discuss current trends in animation. Enrollment limited to 12 students.

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 with 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.

ART731  Art History: The Individual and Society
minor elective | grades: 10, 11, 12 | prerequisite: Foundation
In Art History we 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 “The Individual and Society,” allowing students to explore the role of art in the making, changing and maintaining the elements of society and how this impacts the human experience across various cultures and periods of history. The themes that will be examined under this lens will be: Patronage and Commerce in Art, Sacred Spaces, Art as Resistance, Gender in Art and the Role of the Audience in 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: Nature, Spirit and Religion will be offered in 2022-23.

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.