Visual Art

Visual Arts Mission Statement

The mission of the Visual Art Department is to instill an understanding that art making is an innate part of what it means to be human. Students gain technical skills, personal voice, and a sense of accomplishment through a creative journey of reflection and revision supported by a community that embodies the values of curiosity and individuality.

Visual Arts Curriculum Trajectory

The visual art department at Priory provides nurturing yet challenging learning environment that unites ancient and modern technologies with media specific curriculum in a diverse set of 2D, 3D, courses from introductory level to Advanced Placement. Students begin in-depth art exploration during quarter long courses in middle school, followed by year long courses in high school. With the exception of AP Studio Art, all courses are open to students and grade level, without prerequisites. By the end of the first course students will have gained design abilities, technical skills and essential vocabulary specific to the discipline of the course. Enrolling in a second, third or fourth art course will provide additional skills to students who seek deeper levels of personal expression and accomplishment by building upon previous coursework to conduct independent studies, experience a range of art making, or the completion of a portfolio.

By design, Upper School year-long courses in the Fine Arts Department are intended to be taken in their entirety. Skills and content are developed linearly and to protect the classroom experience for all those enrolled, students are not allowed to join a course mid-year. Exceptions must be approved by the Department Chair and Academic Dean and may be made only for non-matriculating students or for seniors filling a graduation requirement with the understanding that students must complete external work to make up the curricular requirements of the first semester of instruction.

Advanced Topics: Portfolio Capstone

Course Length: Year
Open to Grades: 11 & 12
Prerequisites: Two semesters of Visual Arts at Priory (or previous high school for transfer students). Summer programs may not be used to fulfill this prerequisite.
Estimated hours of homework per class period: 1-2 hours

Advanced Topics: Portfolio Capstone is the culminating course offered in Priory’s visual arts department for advanced art students interested in furthering their established studio practice to build a cohesive collection of art. Among the most important goals of the course is to instill a sense of pride and accomplishment gained by working alongside each other. Students are encouraged, challenged, and supported in growing as professionally minded artists with healthy practices. The nature of the class and the activities will provide opportunities for independent artistic exploration and growth while working collaboratively to envision and produce artwork in a curated collection according to one’s own goals. Students will benefit from working deeply over time while building portfolios for purposes such as: college applications as prospective art majors or minors, or for art competitions and exhibitions.

AT Portfolio Capstone is replacing AP Art Design for the 2024-2025 school year. Students will still have the option to sit for the AP Design Exam on-site at Priory. The instructor will advise such students how to self-study on the AP Exam.
Art Spectrum

Course Length: Semester
Open to Grades: 9-12
Prerequisites: None
Estimated hours of homework per class period: None
Graduation Requirement: This fulfills 1 of 2 semesters of the graduation requirement.

Art spectrum is a studio art course that uses the Elements and Principles of Art and Design to build a strong foundation pertaining to all aspects of the visual arts. Students will explore skills, concepts, and art history through a variety of media; both two and three-dimensional, with an emphasis on the development of technical, expressive and critical thinking skills. Lessons in drawing, color theory, painting, ceramics, sculpture, glass, metals, photography, and graphic design are taught. One of the most important goals of the course is to instill a sense of pride and accomplishment in all students taking the course while finding passion within the studio arts. This is a great course for someone who is not sure which art class to take. Please note: it is a highly recommended course for those intending to take AP Studio Art in subsequent years.
CAD & Product Design I

Course Length: Semester

Open to Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite: None

Estimated hours of homework per class period: 0 hours

Graduation Requirement: Satisfies Computer Science requirement or ½ of Visual Arts requirement.

This course introduces students to the Elements of Art and the Principles of Design in order to better understand the concepts and skills required of engineers and designers. Students learn that CAD assists in the creation, modification, and analysis of manufactured products. Emulating the real world, students work individually and in teams, using the Design Thinking method, to empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test ideas for the products of today and beyond. In order to create these products, students employ traditional sketching and drawing techniques, prototyping via hand, CAD software (Solidworks and Fusion 360), 3D printers, laser cutters, digital portfolio, and professional photography studio basics in order to document their work.
CAD & Product Design II

Course Length: Semester

Open to Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12

Prerequisite: CAD & Product Design I (formerly named Design & 3D Printing I)
Estimated hours of homework per class period: 0 hours

Graduation Requirement: Satisfies Computer Science requirement or ½ of Visual Arts requirement.

Students will learn the necessary skills to bring a product idea from concept to production and market. Products will actually be sold on the Shapeways.com marketplace. By the end of the class, students will be familiar with the entire process of preparing for a product launch:

1. User Needfinding: Students will empathize with users to conduct market research, determining product requirements and viability
2. Prototype design: Using 3D printers and other rapid prototyping technologies, CAD skills, creativity, and artistic sensibilities, students will design and print prototypes
3. User testing: Prototypes will be given to users to test, and students will reflect on user feedback to improve their products
4. Selling their product: Students will create advertisements to sell their product and interact with customers
Ceramics

Course Length: Semester
Open to Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisites: None
Estimated hours of homework per class period: None
Graduation Requirement: This fulfills 1 of 2 semesters of the graduation requirement.

This studio class covers a variety of techniques with clay including pinching, coiling, slab construction, clay extrusion, mold making/clay casting and working on a potter’s wheel. Practice in throwing forms on the potter's wheel, combining hand-built and wheel-thrown forms, glazing these forms, and understanding kiln loading and firing procedures are the subjects in this course. We will work with sculptural ideas developed in various ceramic hand construction techniques and we will explore how the unique characteristics of clay can contribute to the content of the work.
Drawing and Painting 1

Course Length: Semester
Open to Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisites: None

Estimated hours of homework per class period: None
Graduation Requirement: Fulfills the Visual Arts requirement

This studio art class focuses on developing fundamental drawing and painting skills. Students will develop the ability to perceive and define shape, volume, space, and light both representationally and expressively in various media with increased emphasis on developing composition and content. During drawing units, students will work with pencils, charcoal, pastels, and colored pencils. Color theory will be introduced and investigated as well as: drawing from observation, drawing the human figure, analysis of basic forms, structure, proportion, symmetry, balance, and rhythm. During the Painting units, we will focus on the technical and conceptual basics of painting using watercolor, acrylics and oil. One of the most important goals of the course is to instill a sense of pride and accomplishment in young artists.
Drawing and Painting 2

Course Length: Semester
Open to Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisites: Must have taken Drawing and Painting 1
Estimated hours of homework per class period: None
Graduation Requirement: Fulfills the Visual Arts requirement

This studio art class focuses on further developing the fundamental drawing skills learned in Drawing and Painting 1 with an emphasis on color theory and wet media. Students will develop the ability to perceive and define shape, volume, space, and light both representationally and expressively in various media with increased emphasis on developing composition and content. Media we will study: markers, watercolor, acrylics, encaustic and oil. One of the most important goals of the course is to instill a sense of pride and accomplishment in young artists.
Glass 1

Course Length: Semester
Open to Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisites:

Estimated hours of homework per class period: None
Graduation Requirement: Fulfills the Visual Arts requirement

The experiences and activities in this course will center on the exploration of artmaking and mastery of skills in Flameworking and Kilnforming. Students will develop the skills needed to create glass art in concept, composition, and execute products through a sustained investigation of the Elements of Art and the Principles of Design.
Glass 2

Course Length: Semester
Open to Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisite: Glass 1
Estimated hours of homework per class period: None
Graduation Requirement: Fulfills the Visual Arts requirement

Glass 2 is a hands-on skill-building class that continues the studio practice that began in Glass 1. Flameworking will deepen skills with multiple component structures and blown work, while Fusing will make use of casting techniques and multiple firings for complex fused designs. There will be an increasing emphasis on the complexity of projects with a diversity of techniques and depth of personal expression.
Metals 1

Course Length: Semester
Open to Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisites: Requires enrollment in both S1 and S2, except with department chair approval.
Estimated hours of homework per class period: None
Graduation Requirement: Fulfills the Visual Arts requirement

Metals 1 is a course designed to enable students to fabricate original works of art that are sculptural, functional, and decorative. The course is a technical/ hands- on skill building class great for those who like tools and fire. Techniques covered include: piercing, cold connections (riveting, tap and die use, tabs, key holes, hinges, etc) Hot connections (hard soldering with an open flame..not a soldering iron) and forging (blacksmithing and copper smithing) Enrolling in Metals 2 is recommended in order to learn casting techniques. (metals 1 is a fabrication course)
Metals 2

Course Length: Semester
Open to Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Prerequisites: Metals 1

Estimated hours of homework per class period: None
Graduation Requirement: Fulfills the Visual Arts requirement

Metals 2 is a technical/ hands- on skill building class great for those who like tools and fire. The course builds on the fundamental fabrication skills learned in Metals 1, however those skills will be applied primarily to techniques used to cast metal objects.

Casting differs greatly from fabrication. Fabrication means to construct or build objects with sheet metal, wire, tubing, etc using hot and cold connections. (soldering, riveting, etc). Fabricated objects are usually one- of- a- kind. Casting means to sculpt, 3-d print, or manipulate found objects and then make molds of those objects in order to make many more of them. Casting process are widely used in industries such as: automotive, product design (too numerous to list), and jewelry (big houses such as Tiffany, Cartier, Bvlgari, etc cast much of their products). Mold making techniques and materials covered are: sand, plaster, lost wax, and silicone. Metals used for the objects we will make are: tin, zinc, bronze, silver, and aluminum. It's are really fun class if you want to learn to pour molten metal.
Sacred Art

Course Length: Semester
Open to Grades: 10-12 (Note: can only be taken Semester 2 of grade 10 if Christian Scriptures is completed in Semester 1)
Prerequisites: Three Theology courses (Basic Beliefs and Values, Hebrew Scriptures, and Christian Scriptures) and one Visual Arts course (eg Glass 1)
Estimated hours of homework per class period: None
Graduation Requirement: Satisfies one semester of Visual Arts requirement OR one semester of Theology requirement.

A studio art course that seeks to ask students to consider the relationship between the physical world and the spiritual world. The course will develop the contemplative practice of exploring symbols of belief through the creation of art. The 2-dimensional work of this studio practice will be framed by a discussion about sacred symbols of meaning in the human experience, and of the creative processes involved in forming expressions of spirituality.