This is what we love to do.

At Maxwell Heights our goal is to develop the abilities of all students to understand, appreciate, and create fine art. This involves knowledge of theory, history, and production skills involved in the creation of all artworks.

We believe that art is an essential component to a student's general education and an important foundation for post-secondary studies in the visual arts.

Students of all abilities and learning styles find success in our program.  We define art-making as a skills based endeavour.  With clearly defined learning goals, expert instruction, and with consistent assessment and evaluation policies our students improve their art-making abilities.

At every grade level students will have the opportunity to develop a wide range of technical skills in all four disciplines of visual arts: drawing, painting, sculpting, and printmaking.  Starting in grade nine students will begin to build a comprehensive individual portfolio of artwork that will be essential to securing a position in a post-secondary institution that offers continued study in visual arts.

In addition to our core courses, the Visual Arts Department at Maxwell Heights currently offers three specialized courses: the grade eleven drawing course, the grade eleven alternative art course and the grade twelve painting course.  These studio courses provide interested students with enriched instruction in these essential disciplines.

Faculty at Maxwell Heights are working artists in our community and beyond.  This valuable experience in creating, selling, and exhibiting art work is passed on to our students.  At the end of each semester the Visual Arts faculty organizes a large student art show where students celebrate their accomplishments and aquire skills in promoting, framing and hanging art work.  Every two years our department is proud to submit student work to the Robert McLaughlin Gallery 'For Arts Sake' exhibition where Maxwell student art work hangs with the best work from every high school in the Durham region.