MCPS VISUAL ART CENTER
ALBERT EINSTEIN HIGH SCHOOL https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/vac/Principal: Mark Brown
MCPS Arts Supervisor: Anjali Wells
Assistant Principal: Justin Krop
Academy Coordinator: Tricia Gooley
VAC Faculty: Mygenet Harris & Sarah Harnish
Established in 1974, the Visual Art Center (VAC) is a nationally recognized portfolio preparation program at Albert Einstein High School. The VAC is an Honors-AP level, pre-college, art portfolio development "countywide" magnet program within the Montgomery County Public School system. The VAC has two teachers/co-coordinators, Mygenet Harris and Sarah Harnish . The VAC offers students a broad perspective of the visual arts and deepens their understanding of the opportunities for visual art-related careers through exposure to art history, contemporary artists, and artwork. The VAC curriculum provides a series of art problems for students to solve with projects that stimulate the development of creative and critical thinking. As students mature artistically in the program, they are encouraged to investigate and develop their own "personal voice" or style. VAC graduates have pursued study in fine art and digital art fields, such as animation, arts administration, arts education, fashion design, film, graphic design, illustration, industrial design, interior design, product design, social media, television, transportation design, theater lighting, virtual reality, web, and set design. This rigorous and comprehensive program enables students to realize and achieve their full potential in visual arts. The work presented on this site is the work of current Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors of the VAC.
Students will have the opportunity to:
Explore drawing, painting, mixed mediums, applied graphic design and other traditional and digital media.
Lessons consist of demonstrations, visual presentations, studio activities, assigned research, group critiques, college application support and guidance, college rep presentations /portfolio reviews, artist and gallery visits.
In addition, VAC students have the opportunity to participate in national competitions such as: Young Arts, Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, NAACP- ACT-SO, Congressional HS Art Competition. Students also enter many other local art competitions and gallery shows.
VAC students often win national, regional, and local awards, as well as scholarships to some of the country’s most prestigious schools.
Mygenet Harris : mygenet.t.harris@mcpsmd.net
Sarah Harnish: sarah.m.harnish@mcpsmd.net