+In conjunction with other subject areas, the Art Department offers Academy classes that combine key concepts and crucial skill sets from at least two disciplines into one course. Students practice exploring ideas or solving problems through the lenses of each discipline, while also striving to construct a lens that transcends the individual disciplines. These courses provide credits from more than one discipline. Several of these courses are taught using the competency based learning (CBL) model. CBL provides students the opportunity to define their learning in terms of key transdisciplinary competencies that deepen their capacity to collaborate, communicate, create, embrace challenge, empathize, engage with global perspective, honor self and place and think critically
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THE STUDENT EXHIBITION OF WORK
FROM TRANSDISCIPLINARY ART COURSES
2020-21
THE STUDENT EXHIBITION OF WORK
FROM TRANSDISCIPLINARY ART COURSES
2020-21
+ This course assumes that every human being is creative and that development of imagination is good for the soul. As students walk through the doors of the Arts and Letters classroom, they become poets, writers and artists. Meeting with both an English teacher and an Art teacher, students study art as viewers and creators, with an emphasis on how art springs from experience and how experience is altered by art. The art section of the course focuses on a variety of media including artists’ books and printmaking. Professional artists and writers provide examples for inspiration and analysis. Students examine art in local museums and galleries and seek to understand the function of art and literature in the school community.
+ Students enrolled in this transdisciplinary Art and Social Studies course are immersed in European art history and visual display, while developing curation skills. Curators are responsible for assembling, cataloguing, managing and presenting/displaying artistic and cultural collections. From the initial research of objects and artwork, to preservation and archiving, the course teaches students how to think thematically, socially and critically. In collaboration, students build exhibits and visual displays from the ground up with a look at the past and an eye on the future. Historical perspective is essential to curation and design. The course considers European artistic movements, exhibitions and “salons” as models for real-world application of curating, preparing and mounting creative displays across campus and in the community. Students learn about the following European artistic periods: Renaissance, Baroque, NeoClassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, and Modernism. These eras lend themselves to bringing art and history alive. As well, they incorporate current uses of technology in curation and design, as seen in museums worldwide which are increasingly interactive. Crafting of a historical narrative, museum studies, public relations, fabrication and design installation are also part of the course structure. Guest speakers, field trips and readings are integrated to round out the curriculum. The course goals develop students’ collaboration abilities, critical thinking and communication skills.
+ Product Design for Sustainable Entrepreneurship is a transdisciplinary course that prepares students to build a better world through design and entrepreneurship. Students use the principles of design and design software and technology to create products that help address a real-world problem. They learn how to develop an entrepreneurial mindset while championing an idea. Some of the questions students explore include: Why is culture and place important when designing for sustainability? What kinds of responsibilities does a designer and entrepreneur have to an audience, a consumer and the environment? How can design inspire positive action? While working on projects connected with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, students expand their understanding and practice of visual art. Application of the elements and principles of design along with design process and thinking provide a foundation for all student work. Techniques and concepts related to foundational drawing, 3D and sculptural design are developed and understood through traditional and emergent technologies. The use of CAD and 3D modeling combined with rapid prototype machines such as 3D printers, laser cutters and CNC routers facilitate student understanding of the relationship between process and product. Students practice reading, writing, presentation and critical thinking, with a focus on formulating a thesis with clear supportive evidence. Students who complete Global Sustainability by Design in grade 9 are encouraged to continue to Social Studies Sustainability by Design Mentorship for Community Action in grade 10.
+ Visual Storytelling explores the intersection of the visual arts with the English language. In this course, students foster composition and communication skills as the means to gain a better understanding of themselves and the world around them. Within every individual is an artist and a storyteller and students try their hands at personal essays and autobiographical comics to develop these abilities. By honing the foundational skills required to think critically about and engage creatively with images and words, students give their imaginations expression through these powerful media. In so doing, they are better equipped to tell the story of who they are as well as analyze verbal and visual media more broadly. A sketch journal is required for this course. Semester 1 – Design and Line: In this semester, students develop the fundamentals of reading and writing alongside drawing and the design process. Together, students study conventional and graphic narratives to build their analytical skills and draw inspiration for creating and analyzing their own work, both written and drawn. The first semester of the course concludes with a collaborative class project. Semester 2 – Color and Quest: In this part of the course, students develop the fundamentals of reading and writing alongside painting and color theory. Together, students study conventional and graphic narratives to build their analytical skills and draw inspiration for creating and analyzing their own work, both written and painted. The second semester concludes with the student-designed Quest Project, a student-directed storytelling project capping their sophomore year in English.