Fundamental techniques for drawing, painting, sculpture, and photography alongside modern digital design principles. Analyzes historical artistic movements while building skills in printmaking and graphic media.
In this culminating critique, students present a major work executed in a monochromatic or analogous scheme that conveys a complex narrative usually reserved for full-color spectrums. Peers critique the work based on how effectively value and saturation were used to replace hue as the primary storytelling device.
Focusing on complementary contrasts and simultaneous contrast, students create a composition designed to produce visual vibration or 'shimmer.' The lesson explores the boundary between aesthetic harmony and physiological visual discomfort, pushing the limits of what is comfortable for the viewer to observe.
Students restrict their materials to the 'Zorn Palette' (Yellow Ochre, Vermilion, Ivory Black, and White) to master temperature control without relying on high-chroma pigments. By removing the crutch of convenient tube colors, students must demonstrate sophisticated mixing skills to achieve lifelike flesh tones and atmospheric depth.
This seminar-style lesson examines the psychological impact of color and its cultural specificities through a global lens. Students analyze case studies of contemporary artists who leverage color for political or emotional manipulation, then draft a proposal for a piece that utilizes color to subvert traditional cultural associations.
Students curate their series for final review, sequencing work to control narrative flow and drafting a professional artist statement.
Students master the integration of subject and background through glazing, scumbling, and edge manipulation to create a unified spatial reality.
Students refine their successful experimental techniques into polished, gallery-ready pieces. They produce a technical artist statement explaining how their material handling supports their conceptual intent.
A formal critique simulation utilizing the Critical Response Process to provide actionable feedback and drive iterative refinement of works-in-progress.
Students abandon traditional canvas to paint on found objects and raw materials. They analyze how the history and texture of a surface change the narrative and conceptual impact of the work.
Students address the physical and perceptual challenges of large-scale work by transferring small studies to large formats, focusing on brush economy and viewing distance.
Students brainstorm and propose a thematic series of 3-5 works, defending their choice of subject matter and medium while analyzing contemporary thematic consistency.
Students combine incompatible media and incorporate collage to disrupt the picture plane. The focus is on the 'edge' where materials meet, using resistance techniques and heavy gels to create sculptural topography.
Investigating the properties of viscosity and flow, students treat painting as a controlled chemical reaction. They experiment with pouring mediums and high-flow acrylics to create organic, non-brush textures.
Students explore the concept of emergence by reversing the drawing process. By covering substrates in charcoal or ink and revealing images through subtraction, they treat light as a physical presence.
Mastering all-over compositions that lack a traditional focal point, focusing on rhythm and repetition to maintain cohesion in 'chaos'.
Mapping the chronological 'eye path' through a composition by manipulating contrast, edge quality, and directional lines to hijack viewer gaze.
Challenging linear perspective by integrating multiple vanishing points and distorted geometries to create physically impossible but visually coherent spaces.
A workshop-based exploration of unconventional cropping and focal points pushed to the extreme edges to manipulate viewer anxiety and spatial psychology.
Students analyze the hidden geometry of classical masterworks and apply dynamic symmetry grids to modern organic subjects to create structural tension and subconscious order.
Students analyze Josef Albers' 'Interaction of Color' and execute precision experiments to demonstrate how contextual placement alters color perception.
Students present their completed campaigns to a panel representing school administrators or local council members. They deliver a verbal pitch accompanied by their visual materials and answer questions regarding feasibility and impact.
Students enter a production phase to create the physical or digital assets for their campaign. They apply principles of design hierarchy to ensure their message is visually accessible. The lesson emphasizes the intersection of aesthetics and communication.
Focusing on rhetoric, students draft the core messaging for their campaign, including a slogan, a mission statement, and an 'elevator pitch.' They analyze successful advertising techniques to understand tone and audience targeting.
Students present their comprehensive campaigns to a mock panel and practice high-stakes elevator pitches.
Students design visual advocacy materials, focusing on branding and media literacy to capture public attention.
Students learn to blend emotional appeals and factual evidence to craft a compelling persuasive narrative for their arts cause.
Learners map out stakeholders and use empathy mapping to understand the values and priorities of different audience groups.
Students analyze hypothetical scenarios where arts programs face budget cuts or closure to identify root causes and specific advocacy needs.
Students explore real-world advocacy case studies to understand how data supports arts funding. They select relevant statistics to bolster their specific campaign and practice translating dry data into compelling infographics.
Students print the second color layer, tackling the difficulty of aligning tight registration. The sequence concludes with reclaiming screens (cleaning) and a discussion on the commercial viability of screen printing.
Students conduct an audit of their current school or neighborhood arts landscape to identify gaps in access or funding, eventually selecting one specific issue to advocate for.
In a simulated print shop environment, students work in teams to print a run of posters or t-shirts. They manage the drying rack workflow and clean up, emphasizing the industrial nature of the medium.
Students analyze their finished posters as public advertisements, discussing visual impact, communication effectiveness, and design choices through a formal critique process.
Students install their posters in a public or semi-public context to test readability and impact. The lesson concludes with a seminar discussing the role of the graphic artist in contemporary visual culture and the effectiveness of their design choices.
Students set up hinge clamps and registration tabs to print their first color layer. The lesson emphasizes the angle, pressure, and speed of the squeegee pull to ensure crisp edges and avoid bleeding.
Students mix acrylic screen inks and practice the physical technique of the 'flood' and the 'pull.' They focus on angle, pressure, and speed to produce crisp prints without bleeding.
Students participate in a print exchange, write artist bios, and explore the valuation of their work.
Students compile their hybrid prints into a Zine format, focusing on pagination and basic bookbinding.
Students experiment with printing analog elements onto digitally prepared backgrounds and managing registration.
Students combine their stencils and typography to produce a final graphic poster, applying ink and layering elements to create a unified, communicative design.
Students step into the role of Stage Managers to learn about organization. They create a 'prop table' map, outlining where items go ensuring actors can find them in the dark, and practice resetting a scene quickly.
Students create a costume rendering for a specific character using drawing or collage techniques. They must annotate their design to explain how their choices relate to the character's age, job, and personality.
Focusing on safety and resourcefulness, students learn to build a specific hand prop using cardboard, tape, and safe adhesives. The lesson covers structural integrity and how to make lightweight objects look heavy or metallic.
Students explore how color, condition, and fit of clothing communicate character traits. They analyze character descriptions and select fabric swatches or colors that represent the character's personality and status.
Students learn to categorize items as Hand Props, Set Props, or Set Dressing through sorting activities. They analyze a scene to determine which items are handled by actors versus which items just set the scene.
Students identify and fabricate a key hand prop from their script, solving problems of durability and appearance.
Students apply color and texture to their models using scenic painting techniques to convey mood and reality.
Using their floor plans, students construct 3D dioramas (maquettes) of their sets using cardboard and craft materials.
Students learn to draw 'bird's eye view' stage plans, placing furniture and walls while considering audience sightlines.
Students analyze a short scene to identify clues about the physical setting, bridging reading comprehension with visual conceptualization.
Students dress up and display their prop. The class observes the visual choices and guesses the character's traits based solely on the visual evidence.
Students build their designed prop using cardboard, tape, and markers. The lesson emphasizes safety with scissors and creative use of materials to represent real objects.
Students identify one 'essential prop' that their character would carry. They sketch the object, focusing on details that make it unique to that character.
Using a collection of hats, scarves, and fabric swatches, students assemble a 'look' for a specific character. They practice justifying why a specific color or texture fits the character's personality.
Students read brief character biographies and identify key personality traits. They discuss what visual clues might represent those traits through clothing and accessories.
Students select one photo they took, crop it, apply a filter, and add a digital element to tell a specific story. They present their 'before' and 'after' images to the class.
Students practice overlaying digital stickers or drawing on top of their photographs. This introduces the concept of mixed media and digital layers.
Using simple photo editing software, students apply black-and-white, sepia, and bright filters to their photos. They discuss how different filters make the photo feel.
Students explore the concept of framing by taking photos up close (macro) and from far away. They discuss how changing their position changes what is included in the picture.
Students learn how to safely hold a tablet for photography, identify the camera lens, and practice taking steady photos of stationary objects.
In the capstone project, students combine their photos and custom icons to create a static mockup of a functional app screen.
Students design their own icons and buttons, focusing on visual clarity and communicating function through simple shapes.
An introduction to user interface design where students identify buttons and icons in everyday digital tools.
Students explore digital editing tools like cropping and filters to change the composition and mood of their photographs.
Students learn the basics of digital photography, focusing on steady hands and framing a subject clearly within the camera view.
Students select their best work, perform basic digital edits like cropping, and present their photo essays in a final gallery walk.
Students learn to capture a three-part narrative (Beginning, Middle, End) through a sequence of photos without using words.
Students learn to use camera grids and the 'Tic-Tac-Toe' rule to place subjects off-center for more engaging compositions.
Students explore Bird's Eye and Worm's Eye views to understand how physical perspective changes the mood and size of subjects in a photo.
Students investigate how light sources change the appearance of an object by photographing a subject with different lighting setups and participating in a 'light hunt'.
The culminating lesson where students learn to use light to project shadows of their wire work, doubling the visual impact. The unit concludes with a gallery walk and critique focusing on the relationship between line, volume, and shadow.
Students tackle the engineering challenges of making their wire sculptures self-supporting. They learn about center of gravity, base construction, and mounting techniques to ensure stability and aesthetic integration.
Students focus on the conceptual side of sculpture: using thin wire outlines to define empty space and suggest volume. They begin their final project by planning and executing the core volume of their subject.
Students learn the technical aspects of working with wire, including tool safety, wire gauge, and foundational joining techniques like twisting, crimping, and looping.
Students bridge the gap between flat drawing and spatial thinking by translating blind contour drawings of everyday objects into continuous wire forms.
Students repeat the carve-ink-print cycle for subsequent darker colors, effectively destroying the previous image states. The lesson culminates in curating a consistent edition, signing prints according to convention, and a critique of the technical execution.
Students print their first light color layer, focusing on consistent ink slab preparation (the 'hiss' sound) and using registration pins or jigs. They troubleshoot common issues like over-inking or paper shifting.
Students begin the irreversible carving process, removing areas intended to remain the color of the paper. Instruction focuses on tool handling safety, varying line weights, and textural mark-making to create dynamic negative space.
This technical workshop guides students through prepping linoleum blocks, including sanding and toning, before transferring their reversed designs. Students learn to secure their registration systems to ensure alignment for multiple print layers.
Students use hand pressure or a press to transfer their image to paper. They analyze the results, often surprised by how the texture translates, and reflect on the transformation from junk material to art.
Using a press (or heavy hand-rubbing with a barren), students print their collographs on damp paper. They examine the resulting embossing, where the paper physically molds to the texture of the plate.
Students learn distinct inking methods for collographs, often combining rolling (for high points) and dabbing (for low textures). They explore how different application methods reveal different parts of the texture.
Students combine their collograph and monoprinting skills, layering multiple impressions to create complex, multi-textured visual compositions.
Students explore methods to transfer digital designs onto physical surfaces like woodblocks or screen stencils.
Students incorporate Chine-collé to add color and texture to their black and white line work, reinterpreting imagery through mixed media.
The summative assessment for the unit where students synthesize data and terminology to draft a formal economic impact statement for a hypothetical arts organization.
Students step into the role of grant panelists, reviewing real-world project proposals and applying rigorous criteria to allocate limited funding.
An investigation into the relationship between arts districts and gentrification. Students evaluate policy tools used to maintain cultural vibrancy without displacing residents.
A comparative study of the United States' private philanthropy model versus European state-subsidized arts funding. Students analyze the impact of these models on artistic freedom and public access.
Students are introduced to key economic concepts like the multiplier effect and cultural tourism. They trace the journey of a dollar spent in the arts to understand its broader community impact.
Students design high-contrast imagery and learn about layer separation, halftones, and bitmap conversions for analog output.
Students execute their print runs, focusing on tight registration systems for multi-color layers. The lesson emphasizes consistent ink application, squeegee angle, and pressure to ensure uniformity across a limited edition.
The culmination of the unit where students assemble their final Zines and participate in a classroom 'Zine Fair' for critique and exchange.
Students display their posters and participate in a structured critique. They identify the message of their peers' work based solely on the visual clues and typography choices.
Students handle large-scale screens, learning advanced emulsion coating techniques and exposure calculation for fine details. The lesson covers the physical ergonomics of printing large formats and the chemistry of reclaiming screens efficiently.
