ART
College Credit Options
*AP STUDIO ART: DRAWING
1 Unit 1 Year
Students taking the AP course must take the AP examination.
OPEN TO STUDENTS IN GRADES 11-12
Participation in this course is by recommendation from the instructor only. Matriculation into this course requires submission of a portfolio and short essay in order to be considered. Upon successful completion of this course, students may earn college credit for Art Studio. During the year, students will be compiling materials for a portfolio that is the basis of the AP examination. This class meets two periods per day. However, students should be prepared for a significant amount of after-school and weekend work. There is a non-refundable AP exam fee.
PREREQUISITE: Completion of Studio in Art and Drawing
Core Courses
STUDIO IN ART
1 Unit 1 Year
This is a year long introductory course into the nature, function and history of the visual arts. Areas of concentration include: observational drawing, design and composition, color and three-dimensional design, as well as inquiry of contemporary and period art movements. Skills will be developed through a variety of media and techniques. At the culmination of this course, students will produce a collection of artwork referred to as a portfolio. This course meets the state requirements for graduation and is a prerequisite for all other art courses.
Electives
CERAMICS
1 Unit 1 Semester (Meets two periods every day first semester)
This course is an advanced course that can be elected only after successfully completing a full year of Studio in Art. This course is an introduction to the various techniques and skills pertaining to ceramics, including handbuilding, glazing and firing. The instructional modality for this course is based primarily on demonstration and modeling, therefore daily attendance is mandatory. As this is a cooperative studio environment, students are expected to assist with processing clay, creating glazes, loading and unloading kilns and general studio maintenance.
PREREQUISITE: Completion of Studio in Art
ADVANCED CERAMICS
1 Unit 1 Semester (Meets two periods every day second semester)
This course is an advanced course that can be elected after the student has successfully completed a unit of Ceramics. Students will have the opportunity to further develop their technical and aesthetic applications through a twofold process: 1. Develop an increased awareness of the potential of clay through direct manipulation of materials and forming techniques. 2. “Form Follows Function.” Realizing the idea evolves first and dictates the forming techniques, students will employ creative problem solving to arrive at a series of three-dimensional works. Students should be aware that an increased level of work, both quantity and quality, is expected.
PREREQUISITE: Completion of Ceramics
EXPERIMENTAL ART
1 Unit 1 Year
OPEN TO STUDENTS IN GRADES 10-12
This course will offer students the opportunity to work with a variety of art mediums (materials) with a focus on exploration and discovery. It is designed for students who enjoy mixing mediums, thereby allowing for more of an investigative process toward design and composition. Potential projects include: collage, shadow boxes and assemblages, where handmade or found objects are arranged into a composition, creating unique works of art.
PREREQUISITE: Completion of Studio in Art
DRAWING
1 Unit 1 Year
This course is an advanced course for students who desire a more concentrated course in drawing. The course will build advanced technical skills in observational drawing, with a variety of drawing media. Students will have the opportunity to work on their drawings for an extended period of time, which was not available to them in Art Studio. Students must select this course before Studio in Painting or Advanced Drawing.
PREREQUISITE: Completion of Studio in Art
**Drawing is the preferred course selection for accelerated eighth-grade Art Studio students entering ninth grade. Students may elect Ceramics, Experimental Art or New Media. However, selection preference is given to upperclassmen. It is highly likely that these electives will be filled to capacity and it is recommended that incoming ninth-grade students enroll in drawing.
ADVANCED DRAWING
1 Unit 1 Year
This course is an advanced course in drawing to be elected by students who have successfully completed Drawing with preferably a grade of A or B, and who desire a more in-depth study of drawing. Philosophy and schools of artistic thought will be incorporated into a variety of styles and drawing mediums. This is an excellent course for art majors putting together a portfolio.
PREREQUISITE: Completion of Studio in Art and Drawing
STUDIO IN PAINTING
1 Unit 1 Year
This course is an advanced course that can be elected by students who have successfully completed Studio in Art and Drawing. The major focus of this class is the use of color and painting. Pastels, watercolor and acrylic paints are the materials used in this course. Students are required to take a year of drawing before enrolling in this course.
PREREQUISITE: Completion of Studio in Art and Drawing
ADVANCED PAINTING
1 Unit 1 Year
This course is an advanced course in painting that can be elected by students who have successfully completed Studio in Drawing and Painting with a grade of A or B preferably, and who desire more in-depth study of painting and development of their painting style and abilities. This is an excellent course for art majors putting together a portfolio.
PREREQUISITE: Completion of Studio in Art and Drawing and Studio in Painting
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
1/2 Unit 1 Semester
OPEN TO STUDENTS IN GRADES 10-12
Learn the basic concepts of digital photography through hands-on experience with digital software and equipment. The course will address aesthetic principles as they relate to composition, space, exposure, light and color. Students learn how to communicate and analyze images, both as photographers and viewers, and will explore a variety of digital software to retouch, manipulate and create digital images. Digital camera or smartphone required.
PREREQUISITE: Completion of Studio in Art
NEW MEDIA
1 Unit 1 Year
OPEN TO STUDENTS IN GRADES 10-12
Imagine designing your own t-shirt logo and printing it; wrapping plaster around a person to create a life size human sculpture; creating your own movie; using Adobe Photoshop to transform an image of someone into a Marvel character. The New Media course utilizes a wide variety of Digital and Art mediums and focuses on a breadth of experiences that are not taught in the traditional drawing and painting courses.
PREREQUISITE: Completion of Studio in Art