Visual Arts & Media

Students in Art 6 will work on developing basic, fundamental art skills through experience with various media and technique, while being exposed to art history.

Available to grade 6; Quarter

This course builds upon what was learned in Art 6. Students will be exposed to new media, further develop their art skills, and create work while looking for inspiration from different artists, styles and movements.

Available to grade 7; Quarter

Through the use of various 2D and 3D media, students continue to develop their technical skills and increase their knowledge and appreciation of major art movements in art history. Elements and Principles of Art come to life as students experience working in a variety of areas, including but not limited to collage, drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, textiles, sewing, and weaving.

Available to grade 8; Quarter 

In this foundation course, students are introduced to various media and techniques while learning about the Elements and Principles of Art. Students new to the Ursuline Art Program will discover a talent and love for the visual arts that may have otherwise gone unrecognized.

 Available to grades 9-12; Semester

Studio in Art introduces the student to the broad range of materials, methodologies and strategies. The Language of art and design, line, shape, space, color, light, value, texture, proportion, and scale will be the framework of 2D and 3D investigations. Students will have the opportunity to work with digital photography, computer generated images, various drawing and painting materials as well as clay and plaster.

Available to grades 9-12; Full year

In this course, students will cultivate observational skills and learn to use drawing tools, such as pencils, charcoal and ink to create drawings on a variety of two dimensional surfaces, as well as unconventional surfaces. Technical aspects of the course will cover composition, shape, contrast, texture and gesture as they relate to the history of the medium. A portion of the course provides students with exploration into 3-Dimensional design concepts and mediums including but not limited to clay, plaster and wire.

Available to grades 10-12; Full year 

Advanced Art and Design is for art students who are motivated learners and are serious about developing their ability to communicate ideas, thoughts, and feelings in visual form. Media such as Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Mixed Media, and Collage are utilized. Students will develop quality artworks that demonstrate strong visual idea development, significant knowledge of the elements and principles of design, and the artistic skill and ability necessary to apply them.  

Available to grade 11-12; Full year

This course is designed for the student who would like to explore and experiment with a variety of mediums in two and three dimensional formats. During the course students will have the opportunity to engage in some or all of the following: drawing, painting, altered book making, hand building clay forms, mosaic making, paper making, paper mache, machine sewing, sculpture making and functional art production. Contemporary methods and processes are used along with traditional methods to create work that is personally meaningful. 

Available to grades 10-12: Semester

The Advanced Placement Portfolio class is designed for students who are seriously interested in the practical experience of art. The AP Studio Art Program consists of three portfolios-2-D Design, 3-D Design, and Drawing which correspond to the most common college foundation courses. Students may choose to submit one of the portfolios. AP Studio Art is not based on a written exam; instead students submit portfolios for evaluation at the end of the school year. The Portfolio consists of twenty-four works of art. Students may incorporate digital photography and imaging within the confines of this course. The submission of the AP portfolio is required. 

Available to grade 12 students enrolled in an Advanced Art Course; Full year

In this hands-on, project based course, students will experience the dynamics of designing, creating, engineering and marketing their own basic fashion creations in a multi-disciplinary environment. Students will learn about basic tools, techniques of hand and machine sewing, measuring, stitches, hems, fabric cutting, construction and deconstruction. They will design, engineer, create, and upcycle their own accessories, altered couture and simple apparel. 

Available to grades 11-12; Semester

This course is an introduction to Graphic Design. Students will learn to communicate their ideas visually through words, symbols, photographs, and found images. Through creative projects, students will become proficient in the layout program, Adobe InDesign and will be introduced to Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. They will use a combination of these applications to create logos, page layouts and finally, design a marketing package for an assigned “client.” Some computer lab work outside of class time may be required. 

Available to grades 10-12; Full year

This honors level, project-based Media Arts course will be taught as a continuation of Computer Graphic Design. Students will further their ability to communicate ideas visually through the use of both newly introduced and previously learned software packages. They will design a website with Adobe Muse, produce logo and package design with Adobe Illustrator, and design an app prototype using Adobe XD. They will take on an actual client, by collaborating with students preparing a Shark Tank presentation in their Economics Class and create a logo and other marketing materials while learning to communicate effectively with an actual “Client”. Adobe Photoshop and InDesign will be incorporated as well to reinforce what was learned in the introductory course.

Available to grades 11 and 12; Full year

This project-based course encourages students to create their own dynamic short movies, stories and presentations using Adobe Creative Suite: Premiere & Muse, iMovie, Prezi, and additional online media editing platforms. Focusing on the concept that giving an effective presentation is really all about good story telling, students will learn to create powerful presentations and creative short films, through photos, voice-overs, text, video, and music. Student projects include stop-motion films, product advertising commercials, movie trailers & more.

Available to grades 10-12; Semester

This course is an exploration of the fundamental principles, techniques and application of camera-based image making. This course will also explore the techniques and applications of acquiring, manipulating, retouching and out putting digitized photographic images utilizing Adobe Photoshop.

Available to grades 11-12; Semester

This course will introduce students to the basics of visual storytelling through writing, shooting and editing pieces for film and television. With the popularity of original content on streaming services like YouTube, Netflix, Hulu and Disney+, there has never been a better time for women to tell unique, new stories on screen. This course aims to develop each student’s creative voice as well as her technical skill and will encourage students to create work in different styles like live broadcast, reality TV, thrillers, documentaries, and rom-coms. Each student will spend the last few weeks of class writing, directing and editing her own short film, to be screened along with samples of our class work at the end of the year.

Available to grades 10-12; Full year