Visual Arts

The AP Art and Design course framework is composed of course skills, big ideas, essential questions and enduring understandings, learning objectives, and essential knowledge. AP Art and Design skill categories delineate overarching understandings central to the study and practice of art and design. Each of the three skill categories consists of skills that encompass foundational to advanced learning over the span of the course. Students need to develop, practice, and apply these skills in a variety of contexts.

The AP 2-D Art and Design course framework is made up of three big ideas. 

• Big Idea 1: Investigate materials, processes, and ideas.

• Big Idea 2: Make art and design.  

• Big Idea 3: Present art and design.

1.0 Credit - Full Year

Grades 11-12

PREREQUISITE: A reasonably “serious”  interest in the arts and/or history.

Students will gain an understanding of the fundamentals of working with clay using various techniques in designing and creating three-dimensional forms.  Various clay methods and techniques may be explored such as pinching, coiling, adding and subtracting, and slab construction.  Experimentation with form, texture, surface decoration and glazing will also be encouraged.  Students may create whistles, containers, sculptural puns, artist cups, etc.  No previous experience with clay work and three-dimensional designs is required. This course satisfies the PA Arts and Humanities standards.

0.5 Credit - Half Year

Grades 9-12

CERAMICS II is developed to provide interested students the opportunity to continue to work in clay beyond the level I class.  In this course, students will develop their artistic ceramic skills at a higher level of craftsmanship as well as experiment with wheel throwing.  Students will have the opportunity to explore expressing their creativity and ideas with their newly developed skills.  The team of both teacher and student will develop projects that will reflect the individual’s interest.  The expectation of this class is that the students take an ambitious, self-disciplined approach to growth and self-expression.  This is a student-driven course.

Prerequisite: Ceramics I

0.5 Credit - Half Year

Grades 9-12

Creating successful designs requires certain technical as well as creative skills.  GRAPHIC DESIGN introduces computer design skills with print layout, product design, digital imagery, and animation graphics through demanding creative solutions to assignments.  Student assignments will include product design and advertising, typography, information graphics and print layout.  Students will work on Macintosh computers utilizing the Adobe Creative Suite software; which include Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe InDesign.  This course satisfies the PA Arts and Humanities Standards. 

0.5 Credit - Half Year

Grades 9-12

DRAWING is the foundation to learning, mastering and exploring all works of art. This means drawing is a necessity. It is understood that drawing is done in tones of gray. Students will draw various projects not only from memory, but also realistically, from observation, and expressively. This class allows the students time to develop and refine their acquired drawing skills and knowledge previously learned in FOUNDATIONS OF ART. Active art research is used to engage the students using a variety of technologies. Various art styles, periods and artists will be introduced with the corresponding assignments. Assignments may include drawing with graphite, color pencils, charcoal, and chalk pastels. This course satisfies the PA Arts and Humanities Standards. This is a half-year class. This course is a prerequisite for Portfolio.

Prerequisite: Foundations of Art

0.5 Credit - Half Year

Grades 9-12

This course is an introduction to the art design elements and principles through a series of assignments in two-dimensional design.  Each assignment includes intense observation of line, shape, form, space, texture, and color in each composition.  Students can expect to work in a variety of materials to develop skills in the visual arts.  Students will evaluate their creative efforts through an art critique process and learn to objectively discuss art through analysis of basic principles of design.  The objective is to build your artistic skills as well as your verbal skills through the art process.  Learn what visual literacy means! This course satisfies the PA Arts and Humanities standards.

0.5 Credit - Half Year

Grades 9-12

This course is designed for the student who does not wish to concentrate on a specific medium but is willing to experiment with a variety of traditional and non-traditional fine craft methods.  Students will be asked to think outside the box, utilize problem-solving skills, and bring their creative minds in order to create a well-rounded work of art.  Students will be working with various mediums such as fibers, paper, clay, metals, plastic, glass, as well as found objects.  Some examples of projects would be creating vessels, mosaics, lanterns, birdhouses, jewelry, non-traditional clothing, stained glass, weaving, felting, etc.  No previous experience with art is necessary.  This course satisfies the PA Arts and Humanities standards.

0.5 Credit - Half Year

Grades 9-12

It is understood that drawing is done in tones of gray. When color is introduced, the result is called painting. Students will paint various projects not only from memory, but also realistically, from observation, and expressively. This class allows the students time to develop and refine the acquired painting skills and knowledge previously learned in DRAWING and FOUNDATIONS OF ART. Active art research is used to engage the students using a variety of technologies. Various art styles, periods, and artists will be introduced with the corresponding assignments. Assignments may include painting with ink, watercolors, oil paints, and acrylic paints. This course satisfies the PA Arts and Humanities Standards. This is a half-year class. This course is a prerequisite for Portfolio.

0.5 Credit - Half Year

Grades 9-12

This course will introduce the basic skills and concepts of black and white photography, using traditional film cameras, film processing, and darkroom methods as well as using digital tools and methods within a Fine Arts context. With an emphasis on creativity and inventiveness, students will explore the image-making potential and craft of the photographic print, within a fine arts context. Grading will be based on technical expertise as well as an artistic composition. Students are to have their own 35mm camera with an instruction manual for learning their cameras; absolutely NO fully automatic cameras. Students must be able to take light meter readings. With digital work, students will be exposed to the hardware and software necessary for each step of the digital image-making process, from input (digital cameras, scanners, web) through manipulation (Photoshop and other current software) to output. Homework outside of the classroom is required. A lab fee for photographic supplies may be charged. Students will have to purchase some of their own photographic supplies.   *Please note* Students will be working in the darkroom under low light and sometimes "NO LIGHT" conditions, therefore, this class should not be taken by a student with light sensitivity or sight problems or with a phobia of dark or small spaces.  This course satisfies the PA Arts and Humanities standards.

Recommended: 35mm manual camera & DSLR Camera

0.5 Credit - Half Year

Grades 9-12

This course is for the serious art student to develop their college entrance portfolio. The student should be prepared for intense study and expect to do homework on their class assignments on a weekly basis. The course work has been selected based on the entrance portfolio requirements listed by various art colleges and universities' art department. Along with creating highly advanced artworks, students are expected to discuss their work intelligently in class supporting their reasons for design solutions, using correct art terms and language. Student portfolios should exhibit breadth as well as depth in studio art. Students must purchase and prepare an actual portfolio of their artwork for the college art admissions process. Students are also expected to participate in a gallery art show. This course satisfies the PA Arts and Humanities standards.

Prerequisite: FOUNDATIONS OF ART, DRAWING,  PAINTING or teacher approval.

1.0 Credit - Full Year

Grades 11-12

This is a three-dimensional design class, which focuses on introducing and extending student understanding to various skills, processes, tools, and materials of sculpture and three-dimensional design elements.  In this class, students will be working in the round to create several visually interesting pieces.  The class will also explore technique, form, content, art criticism, aesthetics, art history, analysis, and interpretation of art!  Students will learn how to work in-depth in expressing and generating their ideas through their artwork.  They will learn how to deconstruct/reconstruct materials, think outside the box and utilize various problem-solving skills.  Various mediums used during the class are paper, environmental materials, plaster, paper maché, clay, and recyclable materials.  No previous experience with three-dimensional design is required.

0.5 Credit - Half Year

Grades 9-12