Visual Arts

The Visual Arts program emphasizes technique building, risk taking, and aesthetic awareness through the exploration of drawing, painting, photography, ceramics, metalworks, sculpture, and theory of aesthetics.

The mastery of technique in the arts is directly connected to the student’s ability to find her creative voice. As students achieve new levels of competency in the technique of a given discipline, the confidence they gain becomes the foundation necessary for genuine creative expression.

The active participation in portfolio-building and exhibition projects requires students to engage in a large degree of risk-taking. The willingness to risk a creative idea that may not formally succeed is central to all the arts because it provides new and transformative solutions that could not be derived any other way. Participation in the arts helps students to problem-solve, to “think outside the box,” and to celebrate divergent but equally successful solutions to any given problem. These are all traits that serve students well in a variety of academic disciplines.

We hope to increase students’ aesthetic awareness of the world through the arts. Students study the formal qualities of the arts through a combination of aesthetic theory, critical analysis, historical context, and studio projects. Through these processes, students acquire the ability to place their aesthetic values in context with other important value systems, ethically, culturally, and spiritually.

Drawing and Painting I (0.5 credit; half block, 1 semester)
This class introduces students to the fundamentals of drawing and painting. Through a series of skill-building exercises, students learn to draw from life. Contour line drawing, rendering form through value (a technique that students often refer to as shading), and understanding perspective form the core of the drawing content for the class. An introduction to color theory concludes the class with a series of painting exercises.
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Photography I

Prerequisite: For grades 10, 11, and 12 only.

This class introduces students to the fundamentals of traditional black and white photography. Camera mechanics, the chemical processes required for developing both film and photographic paper, and basic darkroom techniques form the core of this class. The aesthetic of photography is also addressed, both historically and currently, helping students to place their own work in a larger cultural context.
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Ceramics I
This class introduces students to the fundamentals of ceramics. Through hand building techniques and surface and decorative treatment, students will create forms from clay that are functional, non-functional, expressive, and sculptural. Students will also have the opportunity to practice throwing on the potter’s wheel to further their experience in working with clay.
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Jewelry I (0.5 credit; half block, fall semester)
This class introduces students to the fundamentals of jewelry work. Students will learn how to cut, emboss, enamel, texture, solder, file, and polish a variety of jewelry metals. In addition, they will learn how to make a ring and learn how to set a stone.
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Sculpture (0.5 credit; half block, fall semester)
This class introduces students to the fundamentals of sculpture. They will learn how to sketch gesture drawings, create ceramic figures, build a stained glass mosaic, and fabricate a table lamp. This is a fast paced course, therefore students must be self motivated and hard working.
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Advanced Metals (1 credit; spring semester)

Prerequisite: Jewelry I or Sculpture.

Advanced Metals is a course for serious art students who want to enhance their knowledge of metalwork. This class acts as a combined Sculpture 2 and Jewelry 2 program. Lessons for precious metal include setting stones, using colored enamels, and lost-wax casting. In addition, students will be exposed to various forms of copper soldering. Projects include copper conduit sculptures and advanced stained glass. Portfolio development will be introduced and everyone is expected to participate in group critiques.
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Ceramics II (1 credit; spring semester)

Prerequisite: Ceramics I

Ceramics II is designed to enhance the throwing and hand building skills of serious art students. This course will introduce large-scale construction methods, glaze chemistry, figurative sculpture, and portfolio development. Students must complete Ceramics 1 prior to their enrollment in this class.
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Design and Build (1 credit; spring semester)
This is an advanced class for students interested in further developing three-dimensional design skills. Students will work with clay, metal, and wood. After technical skills are mastered with these materials, students will work in groups to complete several large-scale sculptures. These sculptures will become permanent installations on St. Mary’s campus. Students should be motivated, focused, and capable of working on a team.
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Advanced 2D Studio Art

Prerequisite: Drawing and Painting I or Photo I

This 90-minute class combines Drawing and Painting II and Photo II into a single studio program for advanced students. Photo students will continue to pursue only photography, and draw/paint students will work only within their discipline. In both cases, students will work to further their technical mastery of the medium(s) while more rigorously exploring the content and ideas that inform their work. The purpose of this class is to bring serious art students from both 2-dimensional disciplines together to enrich their experience, gain valuable feedback from a variety of perspective, and foster a greater sense of community and purpose within the visual arts.
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Independent Study Portfolio Development (fall term suggested for Scholastics competition and college application)

Prerequisite: Either Advanced 2D or 3D Studio Art.

This class is for the serious art student who is committed to developing a portfolio for scholastics or AP Art submission. Students applying for this Independent Study should be motivated, focused, and capable of working independently. This is a tremendous opportunity for students for a number of reasons: competing in the Scholastics art competition, submitting a portfolio to art departments and/or art schools at the undergraduate level, and building a strong and diverse resume for college applications in general.
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AP Studio Art/Drawing Portfolio

Prerequisite: Advanced 2D Studio Art

AP Studio Art is chosen by highly motivated students who can work well independently, coming together as a group for critique. The AP Studio Art program addresses the three distinct areas of portfolio development: the creation of (and assessment of) consistently high-quality art work; breadth of art-making approaches, including media, formal concerns, and conceptual ideas; and a concentration of work that explores personal content through the successful completion of a portfolio.
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Theory of Aesthetics (Philosophy of Art) (0.5 credits for Fine Arts or Humanities; half block, 1 semester)

Prerequisite: For grades 11 and 12 only.

Aesthetics, simply defined, is that branch of philosophy that attempts to define and understand the nature of beauty. As such, the study of aesthetics is critical to understanding and appreciating art. This class investigates a range of aesthetic stances, starting with Platonic metaphysics and ending with a postmodern understanding of art and culture. This class provides a wonderful opportunity for students wishing to investigate art through the lens of aesthetic philosophy, and is highly recommended for students who are also interested in taking AP Art History.
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AP Art History

Prerequisite: For grades 11 and 12 (10th graders with Principal’s approval).

AP Art History is a chronological survey course studying world history through the examination of the visual arts, including sculpture, painting, and architecture. Students will experience the breadth of creative output from 35,000 B.C.E. to the present and gain skills in the appreciation of art and the development of vocabulary to discuss art in the context of the time periods taught.
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