ART COURSES

Middle School Art

Middle School Art introduces students to the basic elements of design (line, shape, form, color, value, texture, and space), as well as the principles that balance and unite these elements to create a good composition. Through classroom exercises and projects, students will learn to evaluate and apply a variety of media, techniques and processes to a range of subject matter. Students will also explore the significance of art as it relates to personal experience, culture, and human history. They will also have many opportunities to apply both skills and concepts learned in art to other disciplines. Students enrolled in this course are required to submit one piece of work for display in the Secondary Art Exhibit in May.

Art in the High School is taught in media specific, semester long courses.  Below is a sampling of the courses offered at TAISM.

DRAWING I

Students will gain skills and confidence in a variety of drawing media (pencil, ink, charcoal and pastel) through an exploration of tonal value, contour line, perspective and composition. Students will apply these skills in classroom exercises and in the creation of personal works of art. Students enrolled in this course are required to submit at least one piece of work for display in the Secondary Art Exhibit in May.

PRINT MAKING

Students in this course will explore a variety of print making techniques to include rubber stamps, Gyotaku (printing with natural objects), block printing, collagraph printing, monotype printing, and lithography. Students will be expected to generate their own subject/themes and be able to communicate their ideas with an assortment of preliminary sketches and notes. Students enrolled in this course are required to submit at least one piece of work for display in the Secondary Art Exhibit in May.

MIXED MEDIA AND SPECIAL EFFECTS

Students enrolled in mixed media will explore combinat9ions of media and techniques to create a variety of visual effects. Students will then have the opportunity to apply these new techniques so as to most effectively communicate a concept or idea. Through experimentation, you will have opportunities to discover the properties of traditional and nontraditional media and then apply this knowledge in a variety of combinations. Here are a few possibilities for projects this semester. As always, the successes, failures and sustained interest of students will determine the course and length of each project.

Three dimensional painting with tempera and acrylics

Inks, crayon, pastel and water colour

Oil paints, relief collage and printmaking

Please be aware that there is quite a bit of planning involved in any art work – a process of research, exploration, re-evaluation, and revision, thus students should be prepared and committed to doing some of this work outside the studio (homework).

Students are required to submit at least one piece of work for display in the Secondary Art exhibit.

A grading policy for this course will be provided and a rubric for all graded work will be made available prior to each project.

APPLICATIONS OF ILLUSTRATIONS

In this class, students will gain an understanding and appreciation of the various forms of informational illustration and the methods used to create them. Working primarily with traditional media (pencils, inks, and paint), student will develop illustrative works to accompany a variety of fictional and nonfiction text that might include children’s literature, poetry, articles, comics and scientific journals.

Applications of Illustrations will culminate in a small book project due at the end of May. Students are also expected to submit at least one drawing for the secondary fine arts exhibit, also held in may.

Student should understand that there can be quite a bit of planning involved in any work of art – a process of research, experimentation, re-evaluation and revision. Students should be prepared and committed to doing some of this work outside the studio (homework).

A grading policy for this course will be provided and a rubric for all graded work will be made available prior to each project.

PRINCIPLES OF 2-D DESIGN AND GRAPHIC ART

Students will learn the basic elements and principles of 2-D design with an emphasis in composition, layout, and communicating through the manipulating of form, color and symbols. Students will use these skills to create personal works of art as well as several assigned pieces of commercial graphic art. Students enrolled in this course are required to submit at least one piece of work for display in the Secondary Art Exhibit in May.

INTRODUCTION TO PAINTING

Students will begin with some basic sketching and contour drawing followed by an in depth exploration of color theory. Students will then use a variety of painting media and techniques (tempera, water color, and acrylic) to create original artwork based on a variety of assigned and personal subjects/themes. Students enrolled in this course are required to submit at least one piece of work for display in the Secondary Art Exhibit in May.

JOURNALS AND SKETCHBOOKS

Students will explore a variety of applications of the visual journal or sketchbook to communicate their experiences, ideas, opinions and knowledge. Using a wide assortment of media and techniques, students will have the opportunity to illustrate their thoughts, insights and personal history, as well as explore the use of visual journals in science and literature. Students enrolled in this course are required to submit at least one piece of work for display in the Secondary Art Exhibit in May.

MIXED MEDIA

Students will experiment with the concept of mixed media and learn its applications and limitation to create 2-D and 3-D artworks. Emphasis in this course is placed on communicating themes/ideas through the manipulation of media, image, texture and every day objects. Panting, construction, and collage are just a few areas to be explored. Students enrolled in this course are required to submit at least one piece of work for display in the Secondary Art Exhibit in May.

CERAMICS

Students will explore the properties of clay to create a variety of vessels, relief objects, tile mosaics and sculptures. Students will also learn the process and history of kiln and open pit firing as well as have the chance to experiment with different glazing techniques. Students enrolled in this course are required to submit at least one piece of work for display in the Secondary Art Exhibit in May.

PRINCIPLES OF 3-D DESIGN

Students will explore the principles and various applications of 3-D design ranging from abstract sculpture and mobiles to clothing and jewelry design. Students will be expected to generate their own subject/themes and be able to communicate their ideas with an assortment of preliminary sketches and notes. Emphasis will be placed on sculpture and wearable art Students enrolled in this course are required to submit at least one piece of work for display in the Secondary Art Exhibit in May.

PUBLIC ART

Students will work on collaborative 2-D and 3-D projects for public display. Working in small groups, students will be expected to generate their own subject/themes and be able to communicate their ideas with an assortment of preliminary sketches and notes. Emphasis will be placed on sculpture, mobiles, murals, and other pieces art suitable for long-term public display. In addition, students will have opportunities to work on smaller, personal individual pieces for display in the Secondary Art Exhibit in May.

ADVANCED/AP ART

AP Art is offered each year at TAISM and it is a year long course.  Students are admitted after an interview with the instructor and showing a portfolio of work completed.  Students enrolled in advanced art will apply a variety of 2-D and 3-D artistic media, techniques and processes in compiling a digital/slide portfolio. All or parts of their portfolio may be used in an AP Studio submission or as part of an application for an Art/Design School. Advanced students should have a sound foundation of the basic elements and principles of design, as well as the ability to generate their own subject matter and ideas. Students will further develop the skills necessary to critique their own work and others, as well as explore the significance of art as it relates to personal experience, culture, and human history. Students enrolled in this course are required to submit at least one piece of work for display in the Secondary Art Exhibit in May.