ART II

Full Year | 5 credits | Grade Level: 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite(s): Art I or Teacher Recommendation

Art II builds on the knowledge and experience gained from completing Art I with a more in-depth exploration of aesthetic awareness, art critique, art history, and art appreciation. Through this course, students will be encouraged to explore their own individual art styles. Units of study include advanced drawing, painting, ceramics, printmaking, 3- dimensional art, and mixed media projects. Field trip opportunities are integrated into the Art II curriculum.

ART III HONORS

Full Year | 5 credits | Grade Level: 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite(s): Art I and Art II or both Drawing & Painting and Sculpture

Art III Honors is designed for students wishing to prepare portfolios for art schools or colleges and for those students who seek a more intensive art experience. The class consists of studio work as well as independent work in the areas of 2-Dimensional and 3-Dimensional art. Field trips, guest speakers, studio work and the study of art history are components of the honors curriculum.

DIGITAL FILMMAKING I

Semester | 2.5 credits | Grade Level: 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite(s): None

This course may count toward either the Visual & Performing Arts or 21st Century Life & Careers requirement for graduation. This course provides students with the foundations for creative and expressive art-making by introducing video art as a medium of contemporary art. Instruction includes the history of film, video art, and filmmakers along with the technical, creative, and experimental aspects associated with creating and editing video. Students will explore a variety of techniques associated with video including video camera operations, lighting, audio, and acting. Students will create original videos based on pre-production, production and post-production techniques including scriptwriting, storyboards and digital editing.

DIGITAL FILMMAKING II

Semester | 2.5 credits | Grade Level: 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite(s): Digital Filmmaking I

This course may count toward either the Visual & Performing Arts or 21st Century Life & Careers requirement for graduation. Filmmaking II provides students the opportunity to further develop their understanding of the history, craft, and development of short story filmmaking. Students will analyze and discuss the work of contemporary video artists and compare video art to other art forms. Students will refine their skills in the pre-production, production and post-production techniques of video making and continue to develop their editing techniques utilizing digital editing technology. This course continues to build on prior knowledge of video making including scriptwriting, storyboarding and digital editing techniques to create an original portfolio of their work.

DIGITAL STORYTELLING HONORS

Semester | 2.5 credits | Grade Level: 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of one of the following: Photography I, Digital Filmmaking 1, or Journalism 1

This course may count toward either the Visual & Performing Arts or 21st Century Life & Careers requirement for graduation. In Digital Storytelling Honors, students will use various forms of digital media to tell the stories of their lives or the influential lives around them. Students will use photography, video, audio, investigative journalism methods, and the written word to create projects that make an impact on the world around them. Students will learn to create podcasts, new-style documentary photos and films, and multimedia experiences that best suit the story they are telling. Choice creations will be celebrated and presented in a public forum at the end of the semester.

DRAWING & PAINTING

Semester | 2.5 credits | Grade Level: 9, 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite(s): Art I

Drawing is the basis for most creative expression. The development of both aesthetic and technical skills will be emphasized through a range of drawing assignments and various media. Painting exploration and the study of color will evolve from this foundation. Students will have an opportunity to focus on the elements of composition as they express themselves in tempera, watercolor and acrylic paints.

GRAPHIC DESIGN I

Semester | 2.5 credits | Grade Level: 9, 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite(s): None

This course may count toward either the Visual & Performing Arts or 21st Century Life & Careers requirement for graduation. This course introduces students to the world of graphic design utilizing a new Mac lab and lighting studio. Students will acquire basic to complex design and composition techniques utilizing the Adobe Creative Suite. With a heavy emphasis on Photoshop, the course focuses on design and pushes students to create original works of art. Ultimately, students will produce a variety of professionally minded visuals that will enhance any communication media from a layout for a magazine cover to an original digital illustration.

GRAPHIC DESIGN II

Semester | 2.5 credits | Grade Level: 9, 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite(s): None

This course may count toward either the Visual & Performing Arts or 21st Century Life & Careers requirement for graduation. This course is intended for art students interested in further developing their talents in graphic design. Focusing on Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, students will enhance their technical understanding of various editing programs while incorporating their own aesthetic style into the work. Students will also learn advanced photography and studio lighting techniques that are essential to the production of high-quality, original work. Thinking like a graphic designer, students will be required to create several projects that will fit the specific needs of a client. For each student, completion of the course will result in a portfolio of work that will exhibit the student’s unique artistic skills and strong technical understanding of graphic design.

PHOTOGRAPHY I

Semester | 2.5 credits | Grade Level: 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite(s): None

This course may count toward either the Visual & Performing Arts or 21st Century Life & Careers requirement for graduation. This course introduces students to photography through a hands-on experience. Within our hybrid classroom, which consists of both film and digital SLR cameras, a traditional darkroom, a Mac computer lab outfitted with Adobe software, and a new lighting studio, students will create a portfolio of images that show a professional understanding of the art form. Students will create projects in a studio and on location with an emphasis on technique, dynamic design, and self-expression.

PHOTOGRAPHY II

Semester | 2.5 credits | Grade Level: 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite(s): Photography I

This course may count toward either the Visual & Performing Arts or 21st Century Life & Careers requirement for graduation. Photography II offers accomplished photography students the chance to explore photography in a more independent manner. They will create a portfolio of images that show evidence of technical mastery in the darkroom and on the computer. Each project will be created in a manner that expresses the original ideas of each student with professional-minded methods. Students will use manual SLR film and digital cameras to make photographs of their own life and the world around them. The course will delve further into commercial uses of photography as well as experiment in the more fine art aspects of the medium.

PHOTOGRAPHY III

Semester | 2.5 credits | Grade Level: 11, 12

Prerequisite(s): Photography I & II

Photography III offers the advanced photography student an opportunity to become a more professional-minded photographer as well as giving them the skills needed to develop a signature style. Photography 3 continues with the study of the masters of photography as a source for inspiration and further education on how to create, edit, and compile several series of images with professional insight and intuition. To help students develop work habits and conscious conceptual planning that is their own, they will research, plan, and design a personally directed curriculum. The culminating project will be a professional portfolio of images that contain dynamic design, concepts, professional techniques, and a signature style. These images will be placed into a public exhibition and used for future professional photographic endeavors, including entrance into the AP Photography class.

SCULPTURE

Semester | 2.5 credits | Grade Level: 9, 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite(s): None

This semester course promotes a further understanding of the design and fabrication of art in 3-Dimensional mediums. Students will be given an opportunity to explore areas such as clay, book art, papier-mâché and assemblage. Students will learn to work with various materials and textiles throughout the semester. Art elements of form, shape, and texture will be stressed as well as the technical use and applications of appropriate tools.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY

Full Year | 5 credits | Grade Level: 11, 12

Prerequisite(s): Photography I, II & III; Requirement(s): Students are required to complete the portfolio for the AP exam

Advanced Placement Photography is a full-year studio course dedicated to offering accomplished students a focused study of photography at an advanced level. Students will develop their own aesthetic voice as they create images that meet the quality of the contemporary, fine, and commercial photography world. Students will use professional cameras, lenses, a new Mac lab, and a studio to gain real-world experiences as they build their portfolios. Students are expected to fulfill the requirements set by the College Board for students enrolled in AP 2D Studio Art. At the end of the course, the student’s portfolio will be viewed for Advanced Placement credit. Many colleges will grant credit and/or appropriate advanced placement to students who score well on the AP Portfolio requirement.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT STUDIO ART

Full Year | 5 credits | Grade Level: 11, 12

Prerequisite(s): Grade of B or higher in Art III Honors + Teacher Recommendation; Requirement(s): Students are required to complete the portfolio for the AP exam

AP Studio Art is intended for highly motivated students who are seriously interested in the study of art. This course is not based on a written exam; instead, students submit portfolios to the College Board for evaluation in one of the 3-course areas offered within the AP Studio Art program: 2-Dimensional design, 3-Dimensional design, or drawing. AP Studio Art sets a national standard for performance in the visual arts that contributes to the significant role the arts play in academic environments. This course strives for quality, concentration, and breadth of production and experience in the investigation of artistic styles, techniques, and reflection of historical influences. Students will be required to have 40 - 60 minutes of sketchbook assignments completed on a regular basis and will also have periodic research assignments. Many colleges will grant credit and/or appropriate advanced placement to students who score well on the AP Portfolio requirement.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT ART HISTORY

Full Year | 5 credits | Grade Level: 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite(s): None; Requirement(s): Students are required to complete the portfolio for the AP exam

AP Art History is designed to provide the same benefits to secondary school students as those provided by a college course in art history. In this course, students examine major forms of artistic expression, from the ancient world to the present, and from a variety of cultures. They learn to analyze works of art within their historical context, and to articulate what they see or experience in a meaningful way, framing an understanding that relates how and why works of art communicate visual meaning. Assessment will be based on the student’s ability to apply fundamental art and art historical terminology, and an analysis of works of art in context, to historical evidence and interpretation. The students will examine such issues as politics, religion, patronage, gender, and ethnicity as it applies to art. Students are expected to complete extensive readings, including interpretation and analysis of complex information, and are tested on that knowledge through weekly quizzes and examinations. The writing process will be an emphasis throughout the course, as it will apply to both assessment of the material and understanding of the context. The student will also participate in a variety of museum visits based on the curriculum material.

Dual Enrollment Opportunity: For this course, students have the option to register for the Fairleigh Dickinson University dual enrollment program. Tuition is paid for course credit through FDU. Dual credit is awarded to those students who successfully complete the course. Course credit may be transferable to colleges/universities.