VISUAL AND MEDIA ARTS COURSES Introduction to Studio and Media Arts (7) This course aims to establish both confidence and competence in the creative process, as well as familiarize students with the options and resources available to them in the Studio and Media Arts. Students will rotate through a variety of disciplines, including painting and drawing, photography, graphic design, 3D design, film and video, sound, and animation. Core competencies in design and storytelling are reinforced throughout the rotations. Students are challenged with a variety of design problems and taught basic techniques for solving them. Projects are given cultural and historical contexts, and students are encouraged to relate art making to their everyday lives and find pleasure in the creative process.
Studio Arts Core (8)
Media Arts Core (8)
This full-year foundation course is designed for students to explore the basics of 2D and 3D studio arts, including painting and drawing, graphic design, photography, and 3D design. The painting and drawing section covers the basics of drawing and composition, essential preparation for any discipline in the visual arts. The photography section introduces students to the essentials of digital photography and its post production, focusing on composition and still-image storytelling. The 3-D design section introduces students to spatial problem solving, with an attention to weight, volume, and form in space. The graphic design section introduces students to applying design thinking and visual problem solving to real world applications. The purpose of this foundational course is to promote interdisciplinary thinking among our students, as well as to ensure that all students entering later VMA courses have a set of skills in common.
This foundation course is designed for eighth grade students to explore the basics of the media arts, including sound, photography, video, and animation. In the sound section, students experiment with Foley creation, sound effects, sound mixing, discover how to achieve sound quality, study the importance of sound in storytelling, and create audio stories and sound designs. In the photography and video section, students experiment with narrative storytelling using still images and video as well as develop technical skills to produce and edit their own videos. In the animation section, students learn 2D, stop-motion, and digital animation techniques. Students utilize the basic animation principles and develop technical skills in operating animation software to create original animated sequences.
Middle School Interdisciplinary Visual and Media Arts (7-8) (Eighth Period) In this Eighth Period course, students will engage in a wide range of studio and multimedia projects. Students will explore a variety of artmaking styles, using prompts and creative projects to encourage the development of personal voice. Sketchbooks will be used as a tool to explore concepts, iterate ideas and prototypes, and document work and process. This course is specifically designed for students who are passionate about the visual and media arts and are willing to be challenged.
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