Visual Arts


Studio Art • Fall & Spring

Studio Art is an introductory art course offered in both the fall and spring semesters and is a prerequisite to all other art electives. Students have the opportunity to explore Drawing, Painting, Photography, Ceramics, and Graphic Design. With each new medium, students will explore and incorporate the elements and principles of art and design into their artworks. This course emphasizes process as a means to liberate students from preconceived notions of inability or lack of skills necessary to create. Students will learn how to craft an artist’s statement, develop research and presentation skills, and study both historical and contemporary art practices. Studio Art is a prerequisite for all other Visual Arts courses. The requirement can be waived only with a demonstration of prior experience (portfolio of artwork) and a conversation with the Art Department Chair.

 

Studies in Art, Design, and Innovation • Fall

Studies in Art, Design, and Innovation is intended as an introductory course for students interested in the arts and sciences. Students will be exposed to various tools and techniques related to creation. Students will study topics including, but not limited to: digital photography, animation, graphic design, 3D modeling, CNC machining, and more. This will be a hands-on learning experience for students as they learn new skills. They will also meet and be taught by professionals in the field and see first hand how these skills are applied in the real world.

 

Advanced Mixed Media (Portfolio) • Fall & Spring

This class is designed to guide students through the process of preparing an art portfolio for entrance to BFA programs and liberal arts colleges that accept portfolios. Students will choose colleges, create some impressive original drawings, have their work photographed, and consult with various art admissions personnel to create the most effective presentation of their work. They will view various presentations by different art programs and apply to their choice of schools by the end of the semester.

Prerequisite: Open to Juniors & Seniors with prior art experience or by permission of instructor

 

Ceramics • Fall & Spring

Ceramics is designed for both students new to clay as well as students with experience in ceramics. Students new to clay will learn various hand-building techniques and basic wheel-throwing skills used to make both functional ware and ceramic sculpture. Students with ceramic experience will take a more independent approach to projects as they work to design projects that include handbuilding, wheel working and mold making to create their work. All students will research and analyze both historical and contemporary methods of surface design and apply these techniques to build up layers of design information on their own work. Students are encouraged to explore personal interests and aesthetics through the assignments. Projects assigned will require productive use of in-class time and additional time in the studio outside of class hours. 

NOTE: Prerequisite: Studio Art. This class can be repeated and the course renamed to note students' level of progression for transcripts.

 

Dark Room Photography • Fall

This course is designed to introduce the foundations of black and white photography and darkroom techniques. Historical development and technical aspects of the photographic process will be studied. Assignments are designed to help budding photographers begin to look more carefully at the world around them and explore a vision of their place in it. Assignments will require productive use of in-class time and additional time in the studio outside of class. Historical exploration will require some research, analysis, and presentation. 

Prerequisite: Studio Art

 

Drawing • Fall & Spring

This course is designed to help students develop their perceptual and rendering skills through sketching and drawing. Assignments will build upon each other as students grow in their perception of edges, spaces, relationships, and lights and shadows. A final project will explore contemporary drawing and develop a new definition of drawing. Students are required to keep a sketchbook for weekly, take-home assignments. Students are expected to participate fully, challenge themselves, apply their best effort, and have fun. NOTE: This class is a prerequisite to all Painting classes. 

Prerequisite: Studio Art


 

Model Fabrication • Fall

Model Fabrication is designed to expose students to fabrication practices and applications of models in real-world fields. By exploring scale, strategy, materials, and technique, the course will allow students to create multiple models using various practices within particular disciplines (visual arts, architecture, theater). In October, students will go on a field trip to RPI’s Architecture Department on a guided tour of facilities and have the opportunity to speak with students and faculty to learn more regarding career paths and how to prepare for architecture as a college choice.

Prerequisite: Studio Art

 

Sculpture: Installation Art • Fall

Installation Art is a sculpture based class where students will create works that reflect an investigation of materials and consideration towards installation methods. Projects (to name a few) will include creating large scale sculptures with everyday materials, repurposing found objects into altered books and using natural materials to construct site specific, temporary art works. Students will also research historical and contemporary artist’s approaches in this genre.

Prerequisite: Studio Art

 

Woodworking • Fall & Spring

Woodworking is open to students with different levels of woodworking experience, from novices to experienced woodworkers, and provides the opportunity to work with wood as an artistic medium. Students will develop skills and undertake projects that correspond to the woodworking background they bring to the course. Novice woodworkers will develop basic woodworking skills by replicating an existing design through all the stages from rough lumber to a finished furniture piece. More experienced woodworkers will design and execute an original work in wood using more challenging design parameters and joinery techniques. Depending on their skill level and specific project, students will be introduced to the safe and correct use of a variety of hand, power and shop tools. Regardless of level of experience and skill, all students will be expected to exhibit a high level of awareness of safety, and a mindful focus on craftsmanship and skill development. Students can take the course more than once as they progress in their woodworking skills and knowledge, and transcripts will reflect the specific level(s) at which a student took the course (i.e., Introductory, Advanced, or both).

Prerequisite: Studio Art (or similar prior experience and permission of the Department Chair)

 

Painting • Spring

In Painting, students will be introduced to both watercolors and acrylics. The first half of the semester will be devoted to understanding and exploring watercolor as each assignment builds off the next, investigating the potential of this medium. The second half of the semester will be spent painting with acrylics on canvas. There will be a balance of in-class assignments along with students selecting their own images to depict and render. Research of both historical applications as well as contemporary approaches will be part of this course as students discover their personal aesthetic with the material. Concepts presented in class will be further explored through weekly sketchbook assignments.

Prerequisite: Studio Art and Drawing 

 

Printmaking • Spring

Printmaking is an elective course that explores the art of building imagery by using ink on various surfaces to produce a collection of work. Students will build a foundation of technical skills through experimentation with color, shape, texture, found-objects, and layering. Following an introductory study of monoprinting, the course will continue to cover additive and subtractive processes to aid in the creation of abstract and illustrative imagery using various transfer and carving methods. 

Prerequisite: Studio Art 

 

Wearable Art • Spring

This class will introduce students to wearable art by exploring body adornment projects in jewelry making, textile design and a fabrication process of their choosing for a final project. Students will learn about both historical and contemporary approaches to wearable art, its significance and place within the field of art. This class will include artist studio visits to learn about different fabrication methods. At the end of the semester students will showcase their wearable art creations by having an exhibit/fashion show for the Darrow community. 

Prerequisite: Studio Art 

 


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