Art Courses

Art survey is the only art course required for graduation. Major art courses are electives and they may be taken more than once as the syllabi change each term.

Art Survey
This is a minor term-contained course. Classes meet on alternate days each week. Students are instructed in basic studio techniques and are assisted and encouraged to develop individual responses to a variety of materials. As an introductory studio class, students are also introduced to the significant role of the artist sketchbook in the creative process. This class is designed to include two-and three-dimensional studio projects, art criticism and art historical research relevant to the specific studio project. Art Survey is a prerequisite for enrollment in all major art courses, but certain students may be exempt by the submission of a comparable portfolio.

Ceramics
This course focuses on the use of the potter’s wheel, but also involves some hand-building techniques including: pinch, coil, slab, slump, Decoration methods (slip, oxides, glaze techniques), and firing techniques, physical nature (drying and shrinking problems), are also discussed.

Sculpture
This course explores three-dimensional design. Topics vary each trimester and have included: ceramic sculpture, portraiture, earthworks, site-based installation, modular based constructions, relief sculpture, mobiles, etc. This class attempts to respond to the broad definition of contemporary sculpture, therefore the students are often required to reference art magazines and the Internet to study work created in the past two decades. Drawing, collage and art historical research are vital to the course, as documentation is essential to the creative process. During a trimester students are introduced to the use of a wide range of materials including: clay, wire, paper, fabric, plastic, wood, aluminum and various found objects.

Architecture
This is a course in which students seek experimental solutions representing, in three-dimensional models and in two dimensional drawings, the properties and qualities of space. Projects include: perspective drawing, drafting, architectural design, scale plans, elevations, and architectural models. This course also attempts to respond to the dynamic nature of contemporary architecture and design. The students create individually and collaboratively in the classroom serving as a design studio.

Painting
This is a course in which students explore color as a means of artistic expression. Topics include; color theory, the importance of drawing and its relation to color, design problems with color, developing ideas for painting, working from still-life, nature, human form, and abstract ideas. Various art historical periods serve as direct inspiration for class assignments, and each student keeps a sketchbook for their research. Students work with watercolor, tempera, color-aid paper, pastel, acrylic and oil paint.

Drawing - Graphics
This is a course in which the aesthetic problems of drawing or “work on paper” are considered. Representational study and abstract concepts inspire class projects. Students learn to use a wide range of traditional and contemporary drawing media including; graphite, watercolor/ink, charcoal, colored pencil, Xerox-transfer, collage, etc. Various art historical periods serve as a direct inspiration and each student is required to document his/her research in a sketch book.

Introduction to Photography
This course deals with the technical and aesthetic challenges of working with a camera in the field and in the studio. Every student must have a 35mm manual camera to be admitted to this course, but additional topics such as; the photo gram, Polaroid transfer, and the pin-hole camera are also discussed. The history of photography and the role of the critique to the creative process are incorporated to enhance the studio assignments. By the end of the trimester students learn how to develop their own film and print onto RC paper to create a portfolio.

Advanced Photography
This course involves refining the skill of black and white photography. Students are instructed to use 35mm, mid-format and digital cameras. This course also guides students in refining their printing techniques using filters, fiber paper and toning. Each student completes this course with a portfolio of refined prints, and the confidence to discuss their imagery with others. Finally, depending on student interest, negatives or prints may be altered with the use of scanners and Adobe Photoshop. Prerequisite: two terms of Introduction to Photography.

Independent Study
If a student is interested in pursuing an original project, which does not fit well into an existing class structure, then they may choose to complete an Independent Study. In the past several years, numerous students have elected to complete Independent Studies ranging from Islamic inspired ceramic mosaic to color photography using Photoshop to wall size painted murals inspired by the Abstract Expressionists. Such Independent Study projects also allow the student to think creatively linking two academic disciplines such as: art and science, art and religion or art and history. The Art Department encourages independent work, and such work often contributes to the Advanced Placement Studio Art portfolio or is submitted during the college application process.

AP Studio Art (2-D, Drawing, 3-D)
Students may prepare one or more of the Advanced Placement portfolios by taking three major classes. They may choose to begin in the spring term of their fifth form year and completing the portfolio during their senior year or by taking three classes during their senior year. In addition, we require each student to study art or create at least four finished pieces independently during the summer before their senior year. It is also advantageous, although not required, to work during one term in Art DECA to refi ne their portfolio.

Digital Imaging
This course encourages students to explore the digital image, digital capture, and the Adobe programs while expanding their understanding of the computers and software. The computer has become the most important tool for the design and manipulation of images. The instant speed of results will help to increase the rate of learning. Students will work in a medium that has become increasingly integrated into the making of photographs and sequential arts (animation and video). This course will be an option for advanced photography students and students who have advanced computer graphic experience.

AP Art History
This is a major, year-long course which can lead to Advanced Placement credit in college. The course is designed to develop a knowledge of and appreciation for the history of art. The history of art is explored in a nonlinear fashion because the traditional forward progression is interrupted with a discussion of the major movements of the mid 20th through early 21st centuries in reverse order. The year begins with a discussion of the prehistoric origins of painting, sculpture, architecture, and concludes with an analysis of the 19th century. In addition to an analysis of the western canon, this class includes the study of indigenous art work: Navajo, Maori, Sepik River, Aboriginal, ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, and the Islamic world. Reproductions and source material are used to enhance class lectures and to augment individual research. A reference shelf is prepared bi-monthly to complement class lectures. The class takes three trips to major museums in New York City each year to complement the classroom experience.