Advanced Photo and New Media

Level up your photography, video making, and digital art skills and ideas in this dynamic new media course. Students will mesh DSLR cameras with Photoshop, Illustrator,  Capcut, and iMovie. Look to elevate your visuals with large-format printing, digital projectors, and alternative processes that combine objects and the virtual world. Researching contemporary artists will support your self-directed process and help you explore how to exhibit your work. Prerequisites: Photography, 2D, or by recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head.

Printmaking

This course seeks to deepen students' understanding of the many processes of traditional printmaking by making multiples of the same image. Screenprinting, Drypoint, Relief,  Monoprint, and everything in between. Students will develop a portfolio of prints and examine the processes of printmaking as tools for garment manufacture, fine arts, graphic design, and mixed-media artmaking. Be prepared to try new and unfamiliar processes and to hone your skills in one particular process.  Prerequisites: Photography, 2D, or by recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head.

Literature of Lies

What are our expectations for truth in memoirs and fake news? And how do we feel about unreliable narrators, lies within the story world, tall-tales, and satire? We will ask how lies are constructed narratively, and what we lose and gain when and if we stop trusting our stories. As we consider various types of narrative untruth, we’ll dive into some cognitive psychology to learn about the trustworthiness of memory (and how forgetting creates gaps that false information can fill) as well as our susceptibility to fake news. Together the class will allow us to ask what is “true” in our post-truth world. This class will have a particular focus on the skills of reading, analytical writing, and project design.

Zero to Hero: The Hero’s Journey to Character

What makes a life heroic? Is heroism found in extraordinary feats, or in quiet acts of resilience and moral courage? Are heroes born through destiny, or made through choices, failures, and growth? This course explores the values, challenges, and traits that define heroism across literature, film, and history. From The Odyssey to Spirited Away, from Antigone to Demon Copperhead, we will study how different cultures and eras have imagined courage, sacrifice, and integrity—and how those stories can help us reflect on the kind of lives we want to lead. The aim is not simply to analyze stories about heroes, but to use them as mirrors for self-discovery. Through close reading, discussion, film analysis, and creative projects, students will consider how heroic journeys illuminate the work of building character, clarifying values, and living with intention. The course culminates in a final project in which each student articulates a personal “code of character”—a framework for ambition, resilience, and purpose in their own lives. This class will have a particular focus on the skills of reading, analytical writing, and project design.

Advanced Studio Practice

For Seniors who have built their skills and developed personal concepts for their artwork. How will you continue to build your creative voice after graduation? Pablo Picasso said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist when we grow up.” This course will explore creative strategies to keep art in your life after high school, including workshopping, refining your interests, and learning to seek out and enjoy seeing art in the world.  Open to 12th graders who have taken at least one level 2 class and with the recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head.

Advanced Sculpture

This course builds off your interests and success from Sculpture  and provides the opportunity to improve in technique. You will deepen your understanding of a chosen process through rigor and self-direction. Exhibiting completed artworks with intention and concept is required. Prerequisites: Sculpture and recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head.

Advanced Ceramics

This course builds off the foundational skills from Ceramics and provides the opportunity to expand on hand-building and wheel-throwing practices. You will explore your point of view as a ceramicist by creating a portfolio inspired by a theme or chosen process. Research into how and why artists have and continue to use clay as a method of expression and functionality will support your studio practice.  Prerequisites: Ceramics and recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head.

Photography

This course spans photographic processes from the first camera to the darkroom, to the DSLR, to digital post-production Adobe Tools. As photographers, students will learn to observe light, color, and composition to better understand how to make a photograph. Reflecting, discussing, and thinking critically about the world of photography will lead to deeper ideas. Prerequisites: Visual Art Foundations or by the recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head.

3D

Learn the foundational process to explore your ideas in three dimensions. Instruction will cover a range of materials, tools, and techniques in the intersection of design, craft, and building things you can use. This includes introductions to ceramics, plaster, resin, woodworking, and 3D scanning/printing.  Regular discussion of The World of Art and Art History will provide context for our work. Critiques, documentation, and presentation will be essential elements of the class to help your skills. Prerequisites:  Visual Arts Foundations or by the recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head.

Studio Practice

This class creates the community, structure, and space for the most serious artists to pursue their work. Students taking this class have shown to be independent, dedicated artists prepared to bring their interests to the class. Group critiques, research in contemporary art, readings, and documentation of the creative process will be major elements of the course.

Open to 11th graders who have taken at least one level 2 course and with the recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head.

Chroma

Chroma is an ensemble for musicians who want to level up their skills and explore music beyond the usual boundaries. From cinematic film scores and anime soundtracks to Radiohead and avant-garde jazz, this group dives into bold, genre-spanning music that challenges and inspires. In Chroma, ensemble members have a real voice in selecting repertoire and shaping interpretations, making the group a creative, inclusive space. Open to all instruments—strings, woodwinds, brass, and rhythm section (piano, guitar, bass, percussion)—Chroma performs intermediate and advanced repertoire through custom arrangements that blend classical foundations with contemporary styles. Students don’t just play the music; they dig into the cultural and historical context behind it and develop their own musical voice along the way. Class time focuses on building strong technique, musicianship, and ensemble skills while integrating music theory, rehearsal strategies, and performance skills. The ensemble performs in required concerts throughout the year, giving students regular opportunities to share their work on stage. Chroma can be taken more than once and may be taken for Honors credit with instructor permission, making it a great option for students who want to push themselves further each year. Weekly private lessons are optional and available on campus for an additional fee, with financial aid applied at the same percentage as tuition. Students interested in taking more than one arts class should connect with the registrar or the Head of Performing Arts to explore scheduling options. Two Term Course Prerequisite: Instrumental Ensemble II, Ikonoclastic or placement audition.

Choreography Foundations

This studio style course takes a look at how we create movement in dance and some of the tools used to build cohesive choreography. Students will experiment with movement using a range of dance elements, movement techniques and concepts. Over the duration of the course, this practice of building a movement vocabulary and “toolkit” will develop a greater sense of body awareness, self confidence, and skills to support their creative process. There will be opportunities to present original student compositions throughout the year. Prior dance experience is not required. This course can be taken more than once and at the Honors level with permission from the instructor. Students interested in taking more than one art class should reach out to the registrar or the Head of Performing Arts to discuss possible options. Depending on sign ups it could meet in E block, 3 terms OR in the rotation, 2 terms. No Prerequisite Required.