Fine Arts

All students must complete one credit of art to graduate from Saint Dominic Academy. Listed below are the courses available to students that fulfill this requirement. While St. Dom's encourages students to draw from the rich variety in the Art Department, students may apply to earn credits through other similarly sophisticated and expertly instructed Fine Art Programs. This credit must be pre-approved by the administration at St. Dom's. Credit cannot be counted toward the art requirement if the credit was taken prior to approval or admission into Saint Dominic Academy.  

 

All art students will be required to read art reviews from various newspapers as well as selected articles provided by the teacher from Scholastic Art Magazine.

 

Semester I

This course is a studio course based on the study of foundational principles and practices of art making. Students are exposed to aesthetics, art history, art criticism as well as art productions. There is a strong drawing component to this course. Utilizing the textbook Art Talk, students engage topics related to the process that artists have and continue to engage as they produce meaningful imagery. This class will focus its study on the making of two-dimensional work.

Semester II 

This course is a studio course based on the study of foundational principles and practices of art making. Students are exposed to aesthetics, art history, art criticism as well as art productions. Utilizing the textbook Art Talk, students will engage topics related to the process that artists have and continue to engage as they produce meaningful three-dimensional work using hand-building and wheel-thrown pottery techniques.

This class introduces students to the skills used in the commercial art, graphic design and digital photography. Students study the elements and principles of art and how they relate to graphic design and photography. Students work on the design and layout of the yearbook using Josten’s Yearbook Online, additionally, students will learn about the design of newsletters, brochures, logos, and package design. Students learn digital photography and will use the school’s digital cameras (or bring their own) to enhance photography skills. Students must have their own laptop and demonstrate skills in graphic design or photography prior to registering. The teacher will sign permission to enroll. 

Although juniors may enroll in this class, priority is given to seniors. Prior experience with Adobe Photoshop and student needs to submit a summer assignment prior to entering the class in the fall.

JUNIOR AND SENIOR COURSE This is an honors course offered to juniors and seniors who are highly motivated and have shown a desire to continue the study of art after the high school level. The focus of the course is to develop a portfolio for college entrance. Students are introduced to matting and photographing their work. A wide variety of mediums and techniques are explored including ceramics, sculpture, painting, drawing, and design. There is a strong drawing component and students are required to maintain a sketchbook and an art journal. Students are required to visit area exhibits and museums. Students are expected to complete weekly assignments and write reports on various areas of art.
PREREQUISITE:   Studio Art I and Recommendation of the Department Head.
                          Produce a collection of works over the summer.

JUNIOR AND SENIOR COURSE The Advanced Placement (AP) studio art program makes it possible for highly motivated high school students to do college-level work. AP studio art is not based on a written exam, instead, students are asked to submit a portfolio of work for evaluation at the end of the year. There are two distinct types of portfolios that students may submit: 2D Design or Drawing; each has specific requirements of its own. Each portfolio requires 35-40 pieces of artwork of superior quality. Students are expected to maintain a sketchbook and an art journal, photograph, and mat their works, attend museum and gallery exhibits independently and write reports on areas of art history related to their area of study. Students will also have art lessons based on topics discussed in Scholastic Art.