Visual Arts

Art: Drawing 1 - CP   (352100CW)

Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12

Students are introduced to new drawing skills; they will also improve and supplement existing drawing skills. They will practice techniques that reinforce the elements and principles of design using a variety of drawing media. Historical art periods, artists and styles will be incorporated into the studio projects. The students will begin sorting and building portfolios of their work.

Art: Drawing 2 - CP (352200CW)

Grades: 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite: Drawing 1

Advanced drawing students who exhibit initiative and creativity will improve drawing skills and develop originality through both actual and conceptual subject matter using a variety of drawing media.  Historical art periods, artists and styles will be incorporated into the studio projects. Portfolio building will be continued.

Art: Painting 1 - CP (352500CW)

Grades: 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite: Drawing 1

Beginning painting students will learn basic painting techniques and explore color theory using tempera, watercolor, and acrylics. Historical art periods, artists and styles will be incorporated into the studio projects.

Art: Painting 2 - CP (352600CW)   

Grades: 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite: Drawing 1 and Painting 1

Advanced painting students who exhibit initiative and creativity will sharpen painting skills by working with more complex subject matter and advanced color theory. Historical periods, artists and styles will be incorporated into projects. Experimentation and portfolio building are emphasized.  

Art: Ceramics 1 - CP (456100CW)

Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12

This course is an introductory studio art course in the area of three-dimensional design of ceramics.  Students will not only be introduced to the properties of clay, but will study ceramic history, develop a ceramics vocabulary and will produce work using techniques such as slab, coil and pinch. In addition, they will study sculpting and glazing techniques, thus producing numerous clay projects.

Art: Ceramics 2 - CP (456200CW)

Grades: 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite: Ceramics 1

This course is designed to provide students with more advanced techniques in Ceramics such as thrown and altered forms, slip casting, glaze chemistry, alternative firing processes, and advanced hand-building.  Students will continue to develop their skills and knowledge in the history of ceramic arts, art aesthetics, and art criticism.

Art: Ceramics 3 – CP            (456300CW)

Grades: 11, 12 

Prerequisites: Ceramics 2

Ceramics 3 is designed to allow students to continue immersion in advanced processes in clay.  The focus is on the development of a personal aesthetic and artistic style through teacher facilitated research and hands-on production of ceramics pieces. Students will maintain an investigation journal in ceramics building techniques, history, and the glaze and firing process. 

Art: 3-D Design 1 /Sculpture - CP   (350500CW)     

Grades: 10, 11, 12 

Prerequisite: Drawing 1 or Ceramics 1

Students will explore three dimensions in a variety of materials. Historical art periods, artists and styles will be incorporated into the studio projects. Sculpting techniques based on historical styles and artists will be practiced.

Art: Photography - CP     (456600CW)

Grades: 10, 11, 12 

Prerequisite: Drawing 1 or Portfolio Review 

Photography is a course designed to teach students the basics of correct camera use, photo alteration, and experimental uses of the digital camera with the computer software. The class will explore these basics with a carefully thought out program of appropriate assignments, the keeping of a photo journal and written assignments.

Portfolio Art 4 - H       (350420HW)

Grades: 11, 12 

Prerequisite: 2 prior art courses and teacher approval of a student portfolio

This honors art course is designed for 4th-level advanced art students and prospective Advanced Placement Studio Art students. Students will build a portfolio of excellent artwork to be presented for scholarship, college entrance, and for Advanced Placement studio art. Focus areas will be: research, critique, developing artistic style, advancing proficiency with a variety of 2 and 3-dimensional media, art display, and competition.

Studio Art - AP - 2D Design, Drawing, or 3D Design     (357400AW, 357200AW, 357500AW)     

Grades: 10*, 11,12 

Prerequisite: Portfolio Art - H must be taken the semester prior to first AP Studio Art 

The advanced, serious, self-motivated students will demonstrate creativity, expressiveness, and initiative through a study of AP curriculum in studio art. The students will compile a portfolio to be judged by the College Board for credit. Students may take any of the AP choices.  *10th grade admission is through a teacher recommendation and portfolio review.* 

Art History - AP (357100AW)

Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12  

Prerequisite: It is highly recommended that the student be comfortable with taking an AP course load.

AP Art History is designed to be the equivalent of a two-semester introductory college or university art history survey course. The AP Art History course explores such topics as the nature of art, its uses, its meanings, art making, and responses to art. Through investigation of diverse artistic traditions of cultures and prehistory to the present, the course fosters in-depth and holistic understanding of the history of art from a global perspective. Students learn and apply skills of visual, contextual, and comparative analysis to engage with a variety of art forms, constructing understanding of individual works and interconnections of art-making processes and products throughout history.