School of the Arts students majoring in Visual Arts attend an intensive four-year course of study which includes the following coursework:

9th grade

Introduction to 2-Dimensional Studio Art Techniques, an intensive introduction to drawing and painting techniques while learning the language of art through the study of composition and the elements and principles of design, including light, and shadow, linear perspective and color theory. An abbreviated history of art survey and the business of art are introduced. The course demands 10 hours per week, minimum.

10th grade

10th Grade visual arts is divided into two parts. Half of the students take sculpture and the other half take drawing. After one semester, the two classes switch.

Introduction to Sculpture and 3-Dimensional Studio Art Techniques, a rich study in both observational and conceptual works in clay and plaster covering both additive and subtractive processes through casting, modeling, carving and prefabrication. History of art in the 3-D realm is surveyed. The acquisition of the language and business of art is continued. The course demands a minimum of 10 hours per week.

11th grade

Intermediate Drawing and Painting, an historic overview of the development of Western Art from the Renaissance to the Modernists of the 20th Century are covered through project driven core curriculum that takes students from pencil, to charcoal, to dry pastel, to watercolor techniques. Then, oil painting techniques from under painting to over glazing, from the Renaissance to Post Impressionism, all the while furthering student understanding of the basic elements and principles of art and design. Written research is a requirement of the course. The language and business of art are also part of this demanding coursework, as one would expect. The course demands 10 to 12 hours per week.

12th grade

Advanced Drawing and Painting and Senior Seminar is an overview and culmination of all the art language acquired in the preceding three years combined with the introduction of pastels, India ink, acrylic painting and conceptual art. The business of art is continued through intensive development of college and job application procedures and portfolios. The coursework demands 12 to 15 hours per week.

Students are also offered an elective course in Computer Graphics

Most (90%) of these students have gone on to excel at the college level. Most Visual Arts graduates attend 4 year colleges and universities, and the majority of the students continue in the arts, either at prestigious art colleges or by majoring in the arts at comprehensive universities. To say that the Visual Arts Department is proud of the work of our students would be an understatement.