The Visual Arts Department encourages creative exploration and expression through a wide range of projects that celebrate our multicultural society. The department also offers classes in computer-assisted design.

Ceramics on the Wheel

Create your own mugs, tea pots, and cooking vessels. This class will explore both the potter’s wheel and hand build methods of working in clay. On the wheel we will learn basic techniques of centering, pulling up walls, and trimming. Handles, lids, and tea pots will be our goal as we become more proficient on the wheel. Glazing, under painting, and carving are just a few of the surface embellishments which will be explored. Hand build methods will also be an important part of our exploration of clay and its many properties. Museum and gallery visits will enhance our study as we see first-hand the expressive work of other potters from many different traditions from around the world.

9th Grade Art

This course introduces students to the materials, techniques, concepts, and processes essential to understanding the visual arts and the role of the artist. Using stop-motion animation as an art form, students will have a cohesive experience practicing two-dimensional, three-dimensional and lens based media skills. Students will hone their drawing and sequencing skills by creating character profiles and storyboards to support a variety of narratives. Students will advance their understanding of three-dimensional studies by building animation models and sets. Using established industry techniques, the camera and state-of-the-art digital animation equipment students will learn to animate using Dragonframe software. Students will ultimately have the experience of making films of their own designs as a stop-motion animator.

Analog Photography

This course introduces students to the formal characteristics of light and lenses. Students will work with analog cameras using manual settings throughout the semester. Through a combination of classroom talks and hands-on projects, students will encounter principles of black-and-white and color photography, as well as learning camera controls that open up a wide range of expressive possibilities. Although this course focuses primarily on darkroom techniques, students will examine other output methods including digital printing.

Art History I 

This course is about looking at art, thinking about images, and engaging in a critical discussion of objects we often call “masterpieces.” More than an historical survey, this course is designed to impart the skills needed to analyze works of art as well as to understand the ways in which paintings, sculpture, and architecture shape our definition of Western culture. Over the course of the semester, we will question both the roots and character of the Western tradition and examine its fluctuating forms, purposes, and meanings.

Ceramics on the Wheel

Students will be learning to create with clay using several methods.  Slabs, coils and the potter’s wheel will be used to build.  Students will learn to manage the moisture of clay while gaining technical skills, practicing visual vocabularies and expressing themselves.  Glazing and other surface treatments will be explored.

Drawing 

In this course students will draw from observation directed toward realistic rendering of objects. Students will work toward developing drawing skills, including the ability to perceive and express visual relationships, organize a two-dimensional composition, and depict and manipulate form, space, and light. Working with charcoal, conté crayon, graphite, pen and ink wash, and an assortment of papers, students will work from the direct observation of the figure, still life, landscape, and interior spaces. 

Drawing and Painting I

This course is an in-depth study of the language of drawing and painting. Through a deliberate process, students will acquire the ability to perceive and express visual relationships, organize a two-dimensional composition, and depict and manipulate form, space, and light. Working primarily from observation, students will gain experience drawing with charcoal and pencil, and working in color, using paint and brushes. Students will be guided through the basics of perspective, measuring and shading. Through a series of painting exercises, the fundamentals of color theory and the process of mixing paint will be introduced. On canvas, the application of color using a variety of brush painting methods such as under painting, layering and blending will be practiced. Students will demonstrate the skills and methods introduced in class in a series of sketchbook assignments, pencil drawings and paintings.

Drawing and Painting II

With an emphasis on the study of color theory and the subtleties of paint application, students will expand on the skills and application processes learned in Drawing & Painting I. Projects will explore both observational and imaginative approaches to painting and may include mixed-media.

Photography and Film

In this class, digital cameras will be employed to capture motion and narratives, via both still photography and film. Stop-motion animations will be made, and the work of Edward Muybridge studied. The course is open to both students who did and did not take Photo I.

The Photo Essay

This course introduces students to the photo essay. Students will look at both linear and non-linear forms of the photo essay, with and without the use of text. Students will work with a digital SLR camera and image editing software to gain an understanding of camera operation and professional image workflow resulting in the production of digital photographs. Projects by contemporary photographers will be examined as well the origins of the traditional photo essay.