WHAT IS THE FINE ARTS SEAL?

The Arizona State Seal of Arts Proficiency is the latest testament to a rich history of excellent arts education in the state. This diploma seal is administered by the Arizona Department of Education’s Office of Arts Education and is awarded to graduates who complete minimum arts pathway requirements throughout their high school career.  

The Arizona Arts Education Standards are sequentially-based, and include five recognized Artistic Disciplines: Music, Theater, Dance, Visual Arts, and Media Arts.

The Objectives of the Arizona Fine Arts Capstone are:

• To celebrate students who demonstrate high levels of proficiency in the Arizona Arts Education Standards through personal expression and creative experiences in arts education programs.

• To identify pathways of artistic literacy that cultivate skills for 21st century success.

• To prepare students for college and career readiness, including active participation in the creative industries sector.

• To promote increased access to well-rounded, high quality arts education across the state.

Artistic Processes:

Regardless of artistic medium or discipline, the standards emphasize and are organized around the 4 Artistic Processes:

1. Creating - Artists conceive and develop new artistic ideas and work

2. Performing / Presenting / Producing - Artists realize artistic ideas and work through interpretation and presentation

3. Responding - Artists understand and evaluate how the Arts convey meaning

4. Connecting - Artists relate artistic ideas and work with personal meaning and external context

Proficiency Seal Requirements

To qualify for the Arizona State Seal of Arts Proficiency, a student will complete:

1. A final GPA of 3.0 or 4.0 in each qualifying Arts / Career and Technical Education (CTE) course

2. 4 minimum credit requirements in one of the following ways:

• • • A minimum of FOUR credits in ONE artistic discipline: (Music, Theater, Dance, Visual Arts, or Media Arts)

OR

• • • THREE credits in one artistic discipline and ONE credit in a separate artistic discipline or qualifying creative industries CTE class

OR

• TWO credits in one artistic discipline and TWO credits in a separate artistic discipline or qualifying creative industries CTE classes

3. EIGHTY hours of arts related extracurricular activities

4. A student Capstone Project in their senior year