Arts Department
One Arts credit is required for graduation.
VISUAL ARTS
The goals of the Visual Arts Department are to enable students to bring about the physical expression of their inner self and to teach cultural literacy by grounding production in the principles of aesthetics, art history, and art criticism. Students will
1. learn to handle art media, tools, techniques and processes in order to express themselves with confidence and skill
2. explore the visual language of art as an effective system of symbol making, communicating ideas, and responding to issues
3. develop an appreciation for man’s cultural artistic expression throughout history
ART I
1 credit Level 3
This course provides an introduction to the basic concepts and skills required for knowledge and structure of art: DESIGN. To understand design, students examine and create projects about art elements (the parts and how they work) and the principles (ideas and guidelines that show how to use the elements). Art I sharpens ideas and skills in the creative process and provides a basis upon which students can build further exploration in other art electives. Exam projects done outside the classroom reflect the students’ ability to illustrate learned concepts and techniques. Individual and class critiques help students process and assess their work.
ART HISTORY
1 credit Level 2
This course is designed to provide an overview and appreciation of architecture, sculpture, painting and other forms of art within historical and cultural contexts. We begin in 1500 B.C., and move through Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. Next we examine Baroque and Neoclassical art before considering Romanticism and Impressionism. In the final weeks of the course, we delve into the Art Nouveau movement on the cusp of the 20th century. Throughout, we consider art in the context of history, culture, and economics. Students develop skills of visual analysis and comparison of works to gain an appreciation of aesthetics, art-related technology, and art criticism. The course includes lectures, class discussion and reading assignments. Assessment is based on class participation, short papers, weekly quizzes and a final that illustrates understanding of the material.
This course fulfills either an Arts credit or the fourth year Social Studies elective credit required for graduation.
ART II
1 credit Level 3
Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors
Art II allows students to work with a wide range of media based on units of study. These units center on the formal elements of art, art history, criticism and aesthetics. Projects are developmentally based for each level and allow for individual treatment of the subject. Many projects are of an interpretive nature so students may choose their preferred medium when approaching specific themes. All projects build sequentially on the skills, techniques, and theories of Art I.
Prerequisite: A grade of B or higher in Art I.
ADVANCED ART
1 credit Level 2
Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors
This course allows students who complete Art II to move on to more advanced work. Although scheduled in the same block as Art II, advanced art students are expected to demonstrate better control of media and work independently on assignments. Advanced Art may be taken multiple times by students who enjoy the creative process and want to develop their skills and knowledge of complex media.
PREREQUISITE: A grade of B+ or higher in Art II.
ADVANCED PORTFOLIO
1 credit Level 2
Juniors and Seniors
This course provides an intense study of studio art with a focus on developing a portfolio suitable for submission to colleges and art schools. Students identify areas of weakness and work to improve overall presentation. Students also learn to create digital portfolios and investigate career opportunities in the visual arts. It is strongly recommended that this course be taken junior year by students who are planning to enroll in AP Studio Art senior year. There is a $15 fee due at the start of class for materials.
PREREQUISITE: Art I and Art II.
ADVANCED PAINTING
1 credit Level 2
Juniors and Seniors
This course focuses on advanced problems in painting, including foremost technique, pictorial structure in both representation and abstraction, color in relationship to space and light, the overall working process, and the use of materials. Additionally, framing and presentation are covered. This course, although structured, encourages the development of independent work through inquiry into the relationship between formal application and expression in painting. Group and individual critiques are a major part of the class as a means to explore individual direction, challenge method, concept, and technique. Class discussions help students to gain awareness of historical models, contemporary art, and contemporary issues in painting. A series of related paintings is required for the final exam, illustrating strength of concept and mastery of technique.
PREREQUISITE: Art 1 and Art II.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT STUDIO ART
1 credit Level 1
Seniors
The AP Studio Art course makes it possible for highly motivated high school students to do college-level work. Students must be committed to working outside as well as inside the class to complete twenty four works of art. Projects are based on the Advanced Placement requirements as well as the breadth of the students’ best high-school work. The AP fee of $88 is the responsibility of the student as is the $25 fee for the required number of supplies and matting.
PREREQUISITE: Art II And Advanced Portfolio junior year or permission of the instructor.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
1 credit Level 3
Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors
This course is an introduction to creative problem solving and concepts of two-dimensional design and marketing using PC computers and Adobe Photoshop. The emphasis is on visual
communication. Projects include identity development, logos, posters, brochures, and
packaging design. Lab fee: $40 due at the beginning of the course to cover the costs of ink and paper.
PREREQUISITE: Art I or the permission of the instructor.
This course fulfills either the Arts credit or the Technology credit required for graduation.
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
1 credit Level 3
Seniors
This course focuses on digital photography and the process by which photographs are transferred from a digital camera to a computer, a photo printer, and digital media. Artistic, theoretical, and technical aspects are considered. Topics include information about types of digital cameras and how to purchase one; theory, mechanics, and art of digital imagery; digital darkroom; and eccentricities of digital photo taking. Special attention is paid to the aesthetics of all picture making, whether it be by digital or traditional film cameras. Students edit all their imagines in Adobe Photoshop. Lab fee due when class begins: $40.
PREREQUISITE: Art I and a good digital camera with manual operations that is approved by the instructor or department chair before signing up for the class.
CERAMICS AND SCULPTURE
1 credit Level 3
This course is designed to introduce students to the medium of clay from its raw state to the finished project. Students learn the ceramic skills of hand-building, including pinch, coil, and slab methods as well as basic wheel throwing techniques. Discussions, demonstrations and projects focus on ceramic sculpture and vessels as well as glazing processes. Other sculptural media and processes may be explored. Students draw from personal experience to develop creativity and expressive content in projects. Individual and class critiques help students process and assess their work. Materials fee due when class begins: $50.
ADVANCED CERAMICS AND SCULPTURE
1 credit Level 3
Students continue the study of sculptural and functional three-dimensional forms. They create ceramic sculpture on a large and small scale, traditional pottery objects like bowls and dinnerware, and jewelry using various methods of hand building, direct modeling and wheel throwing techniques. Students are encouraged to experiment with new media and there is a strong emphasis on developing students’ own personal voice, aesthetics, and ideas. Students study contemporary and master works from the past to provide inspiration. They are required to formulate an artist’s statement and develop a body of work for exhibition. Oral and written critiques are a regular part of the class. Materials fee due when class begins: $50.
PREREQUISITE: Ceramics and Sculpture.
INTRODUCTION TO PUBLISHING AND DESIGN
1 credit Level 3
Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors
This course is an introduction to the principles of graphic design and publishing with a focus on the production of the Burtonian, the annual yearbook for Burr and Burton Academy. Students engage in the basics of publishing and production, including graphic design, copywriting, editing, photocomposition, ad sales, and organizational and management skills. Upon successful completion of this class, students learn: layout and design using Adobe InDesign; copyright laws, photography and headlines in page design; how to design effective ads and flyers; the importance of scheduling and meeting major publishing deadlines; how to delegate responsibilities of projects and work as a team player; and they produce the school yearbook.
E-DESIGN: DIGITAL SUITES AND WEB PUBLISHING
1 credit Level 2
In the first half of this course students explore and develop skills in digital design by experimenting with art, animation, and layout programs in the Adobe and Macromedia suites, and various open-source programs like GIMP. In the second half of the course, students learn basic and modern techniques of web publishing using a variety of tools including Notepad, FrontPage, and NVU, ultimately working into using feature-rich applications like GoLive and Dreamweaver. Students explore the technology and services behind blogs, wikis and many free publishing and document-sharing sites available on the web. Students also explore the technologies of RSS and ATOM feeds and learn how to move their information toward desktop aggregators and mobile devices. Students work on developmental projects in various venues and combine their knowledge and skills to tackle projects on the Research Lab Project Board. Students partake in communication practices between the customer and the team, and merge those developing skills into real project work.
PREREQUISITE: Digital Exploration or permission of the instructor.
This course fulfills either the Arts or Technology requirement for graduation.
INTRO TO DIGITAL FILMMAKING (formerly Indie Film)
1 credit Level 3
Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors
Working in small groups, students in Digital Filmmaking write, direct and edit a series of short films. Based upon the new High Definition television standard, members of this class learn how to use the latest professional equipment, gear and lighting equipment with a learning emphasis on extremely high quality. Above and beyond the technical aspects, this class holds most important the story writing process. Students write effective screenplays by learning the traditional three-act story structure, character development, script formatting and the art of realistic dialogue writing.
This course fulfills either the Arts or Technology requirement for graduation.
ADVANCED DIGITAL FILMMAKING
1 credit Level 2
This class draws from the lessons learned in Introduction to Digital Filmmaking. Students write, direct and edit a series of short films with an emphasis on refined screenplays and technical standards. We explore screenwriting beyond the traditional and spend a great deal of time on reaching high technical standards in color correction, lighting techniques, 24 frame production and image creation. The class concludes with each student producing a signature film that demonstrates his or her ability. PREREQUISITE: Introduction to Digital Filmmaking
This course fulfills either the Arts or Technology requirement for graduation.
CINEMATOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
1 credit Level 2
In this class we survey films of the twentieth century and use their techniques, styles and technical standards to produce a series of films based on popular film genres: Film Noir, Fantasy, Biography, Romance, Mystery, Suspense, Road Films, Comedy and Drama. Students
work individually on their own projects but assist as crew members for the other students in the class. By the end of the course, each student takes away a show reel sampling of each genre.
PREREQUISITE: Advanced Digital Filmmaking
This course fulfills either the Arts or Technology requirement for graduation.
WOODWORKING I
1 credit Level 3
This course is intended to introduce students to the use of hand tools, portable power tools, and woodworking machines. Students are involved in project design, material selection, planning, layout, and safety in woodworking. The focus of the class during the first nine weeks is on developing skills. The remainder of the course focuses on project design and construction.
ADVANCED WOODWORKING
1 credit Level 3
Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors
This course is designed for students who have solid woodworking skills and desire to complete more complicated and intricate projects. Students learn such wood joining techniques as: dovetailing and dado joints as well as wood turning techniques.
PREREQUISITE: Woodworking I. Strong basic math skills are necessary and students may need to purchase some supplies depending on the complexity of the project.
DRAFTING
1 credit Level 3
Students learn to use basic drafting tools, including T-squares, triangles, compasses and dividers. The course offers an introduction to 3-view drawings, sectional views, auxiliary views, surface developments, isometric and oblique drawings, lettering, sketching, architectural drawing, and an introduction to computer drafting using new Dell computers and the most recent version of AutoCAD. The degree of success is measured by the student’s understanding of the concepts as demonstrated by his/her drawings. The importance of line quality, neatness and overall appearance of drawings is constantly stressed. Individual instruction is emphasized because of the varying range of abilities. Text: Mechanical Drawing (French-Svensen-Helsel-Urbanick).
ADVANCED DRAFTING
1 credit Level 3
Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors
Advanced Drafting is a continuation of Drafting, with an emphasis on CAD, in which students are allowed to pursue and explore a project of their choosing after completing the required work that sets the stage for the independent project. Some may want to expand their knowledge in the areas already covered by choosing to do more demanding and complex problems, while others may wish to design objects that will require research and development. These could be such things as furniture design and architecture. The importance of neatness, line quality, accuracy, and overall appearance of the drawings is stressed. Computer drafting is introduced using AutoCAD, the same software used by Vermont Technical College, Keene State College, and many businesses and industries. Text: Basic Architectural Drafting (Paul Wallach).
PREREQUISITE: Drafting
This course fulfills either the Arts credit or the Technology credit required for graduation.
CULINARY ARTS
1 credit Level 3
Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors
This is a hands-on course that includes a general overview of the food service industry. Students assist in the daily operation of the school’s food service. Specific topics emphasized include basic computer applications, math as it applies to food service, and kitchen sanitation regulations as defined by the Board of Health. Students learn how to use the USDA food pyramid to plan balanced luncheon menus, and the practical applications of cooking and baking techniques. This course may be used in conjunction with a hotel or restaurant Field Study.
NB: This course does not fulfill the Arts requirement for graduation.
