Art Department

All classes meet one double period per week unless otherwise noted. Note: Although the descriptions for many of the art electives are general, it is the teachers’ prerogative to be more specialized in their individual approaches. For instance, the painting and painting/drawing courses have several sections taught by several different individuals. Each teacher guides the curriculum through personal aesthetic passions and interests, while taking into consideration the experiential and technical abilities of the class.

INTRODUCTION TO ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN (Luce, Pericoli)
Limited to ten students. This course introduces and explores some of the basic perspective drawing systems used for translating 3-D architectural forms into a 2-D format (elevations, floor plans, isometric and axonometric). Students progress from rendering simple 3-D elements to designing complex architectural structures within a specific site, eventually learning how to translate their architectural drawings into scale models constructed from cardboard, plaster and wood.

ADVANCED ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN (Pericoli, Posel)
Limited to ten students. This course devotes more time to exploring one or two architectural/design problems. Students experience the entire design process during this rigorous investigation—from preliminary drawings to finished models. In order to develop skills in 3-D problem solving, model making is a major component of this course. Students need to have taken Introduction to Architecture & Design or gain permission to enter this advanced course, which meets one double period and one seminar period a week.

CLAYMATION INTENSIVE ( Arnold )
The claymation course is demanding. It requires considerable dedication, concentration and hard work, as well as basic skills in drawing and sculpture. Claymation involves developing storyboards and 3-D set designs and creating articulated characters from Sculpey clay. After filming their stories with digital cameras, students use computers to edit them and drop in soundtracks. Two double periods a week.

DRAWING (Keating, The Department)
This class investigates ideas about drawing, using a variety of media and surfaces. Observation, perception, composition, and the language of mark making are stressed. The course moves beyond the pencil to delve into charcoal, pastel, ink, tonal and color washes, watercolor, clay, colored paper and digital technology as a means to develop an expressive personal vocabulary.

FIGURE DRAWING (The Department)
Drawing from the life model. Anatomical exercises studying the skeleton, muscles and organs in order to gain an understanding of forms and shapes that make and influence our positions and motions. There is attention to anatomy and proportion and to ways of describing contour and form through the study of light, shadow and movement.

FOUNDATION PAINTING (The Department)
From stretching canvas to mixing paint and applying glaze, this course is for students who want a solid foundation of technique and skill for oil painting. The focus includes forming dynamic compositions, working with value, and understanding color by mixing paint to form captivating harmony. This course is an exciting immersion into the world of paint and its complexities.

PAINTING (The Department)
This course is an exploration, through a variety of painting media, of pictorial construction, color, composition and conception.

PAINTING INTENSIVE (Bellfatto, Keating)
See Painting. Offered in an intensive format of two double periods a week. Permission of the instructor is required.

PAINTING & DRAWING (The Department)
An exploration of pictorial life—how drawing begins, its development, manifestation and transmutation. An alchemical approach to picture making: experimentation with content in a variety of styles and media toward a development of a personal vision.

PHOTOGRAPHY 1 (Hord)
A beginning course introducing the student to photographic techniques and visual skills. Starting with the basics of exposure—film speed, shutter speed, and aperture—we learn to process film and make contact sheets, test strips, work prints, and exhibition-sized final prints. Assignments require work outside class. Open to 10 th grade and above.

PHOTOGRAPHY 2 (Hord)
A continuation of Photo 1, with emphasis on expanding and refining technical abilities: in the camera by using depth-of-field, in film processing by learning to manipulate film speed, and in the darkroom by dodging and burning. Assignments require work outside class. Prerequisite: Photo 1

PRINTMAKING (Lee)
This is a broad course that combines various screen printing techniques with relief printing (linoleum, woodblock and intaglio techniques). The premise is to evolve imagery from an understanding of the character of these processes.

PRINTMAKING: POSTERS (Lee)
This course is devoted to poster design and production. A historical survey of poster designs is explored: Japanese 19 th century playbills, Polish circus posters, Mexican revolutionary leaflets, rock posters of the sixties, and more. This course also works with the Theater Department to produce the posters for school productions throughout the year. Various printing techniques are explored.

CERAMIC SCULPTURE (Bellfatto, The Department)
Not a pottery course. We explore basic clay building techniques such as coil, slab and pinchpot to generate functional and non-functional sculpture. Various surface treatments are investigated: stain, paint, glazes (majolica, terra sigliata). Students develop a body of work reflecting an eclectic variety of sources and themes: personal, historical, geometric and organic form, human and animal figure, narrative relief, architecture.

SCULPTURE (Bellfatto, Hillis)
A broad course for both beginning and advanced students. The class investigates the three-dimensional form as a medium for self-expression. This exploration uses a variety of sculptural techniques and materials, such as modeling from life in clay and wax, plaster casting and carving, and wood constructions.

SCULPTURE INTENSIVE (The Department)
See Sculpture description above. Offered in an intensive format of one double period and one seminar period a week. This course is for advanced students. Permission of the instructor is required.