Mamaroneck Schools

Full Year - 1 Credit

Prerequisite: None

Art Foundation is an introductory, exploratory course for all students interested in a general creative experience. Experimenting with a variety of materials and techniques, including: drawing, painting, collage, printmaking and sculpture, you will learn by making art. Art Foundation also serves as the prerequisite for Drawing and Painting and Clay; it also prepares students for Photo, Design and Video.

Full Year - 1 Credit

Prerequisite: Art Foundation

Drawing and Painting is an intermediate level course in a studio art elective sequence focusing on traditional two-dimensional media. Exploration of materials in greater depth than before, learning of new subtleties and possibilities to exploit, and practicing observational drawing and painting, are important components of this course. At times you will be assigned specific subject matter, and other times you will be given a theme or prompt. Students will be prepared to go onto Advanced Drawing and Painting the following school year.

Full Year - 1 Credit

Prerequisite: Drawing and Painting

The goal of this course is to prepare students technically and conceptually for further study of Art at MHS or in college. Students will improve their skills in drawing and painting from observation. They will also explore a variety of media in depth. In addition, they will complete assignments that will require them to think creatively and work independently. They will also begin to develop their artistic voices as they do both in-class and out-of-class projects. Students will take part in group critiques of their work and discussions about art history and aesthetics. Students who successfully complete the course will have a portfolio for application for Art school or college, and should be well-prepared for the challenges of AP Studio Art.

Full Year - 1 Credit

Prerequisite: Portfolio Review

AP Studio Art/AP 2D Design provides an exciting opportunity for seniors who are serious about their art to do rigorous college-level work in high school. Students will spend at least six hours per week out of class working on art assignments. They will complete an extensive portfolio in drawing, two-dimensional or three- dimensional design for submission to the College Board in May. Those who receive good scores may earn college credit.

Full Year - 1 Credit

Prerequisite: None

Senior Art Experience is an exploratory course open to all seniors interested in a general creative experience, regardless of if you have taken a prior Art course at MHS or not. This course will offer students a range of creative experiences in two-dimensional and three-dimensional design, using a wide variety of approaches. This course is an open-ended inquiry into art-related issues and will include individual and group projects, and media experimentation. Student interest in particular topics and media will have a direct influence on the direction of curriculum throughout the year.

** Not running in 2025 - 2026 **

Prerequisite: Art Foundation

For students who enjoy serving their community through mural painting and public art, this is the course for them. Students will make art that gets away from object-making and go outside the gallery setting to engage a wider audience. Students will work with clients in the school community to design art for their needs. Techniques for creating large-scale artworks will be taught, and students will collaborate with their classmates. Smaller individual drawings and paintings will also be created. Students will also study and debate about historical and contemporary public art. If interested, students may explore the exciting world of installation art and temporary artworks for the public sphere.

** Not running in 2025 -2026 **

Prerequisites: None

This course is designed for students who wish to create their own ‘text’ rather than analyzing someone else’s. Students will learn to tell their own stories in a clear and powerful way, by combining drawing and writing. Students will study the work of contemporary and historical comic artists, and animators from the U.S., Europe and Asia (Manga), as they write and draw their own original 1 and 4 panel comics, political cartoons and minicomics. Students will work both in traditional drawing media and on the computer (with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and Wacom tablets) to create their artwork.

Full Year - 1 Credit

Prerequisite: None

This course introduces students to important works of western and non-western art in their historical contexts. Students will learn ways to examine, analyze, understand and communicate about visual culture. The first semester of this course would cover art from the prehistoric caves to the Middle Ages, and the second half of the year would continue from the Middle Ages to the present. Students will study significant works of visual art and architecture through readings, class lectures, slide presentations and discussions. Students will practice writing both descriptively and analytically about paintings, drawings, sculptures and other works. Students will become comfortable with the basic concepts of aesthetics, art theory, art history and criticism. Students will appreciate artwork as visual expressions of the major forces shaping society in different eras as well as self-contained objects of beauty. We will take at least one field trip to the Cloisters or Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Students in grade 10 are allowed to take this course.

This course gives students a solid base of knowledge and experience working with clay. Students learn major ceramic techniques such as handbuilding, sculpture, and working on the pottery wheel. By the end of the course students work independently and choose the appropriate clay forming techniques to successfully and creatively express their ideas.

In Intermediate clay, students continue to improve their skills and begin to develop their own unique, personal artistic style. Those who are interested in hand-building and sculpture will work on idea-based projects. For inspiration, they will explore how and why other artists and cultures have created sculpture. Those who are interested in the potters’ wheel will challenge themselves by learning advanced throwing techniques such as lidded and stacked forms. Students who want to do both will be able to combine hand-building and wheel-throwing to create works of art. They will also gain an understanding of how to make and test a glaze and fire a kiln.

This course is designed for those students who are preparing a portfolio for A.P. Studio Art or for others who want to further their exploration techniques and develop ideas for individualized projects. Students design their own projects under the guidance of the instructor and continue to explore techniques (wheel-throwing) and concepts (sculptural) learned in prior classes with a more in-depth and personal approach.

This course will serve as an introduction into seeing the world in a new way. Through the medium of manual and digital SLR cameras, students will learn the fundamentals of picture taking, image manipulation, and print development. A variety of alternative photography projects will be assigned including cyanotypes and photographic collage. Students will be introduced to the aesthetics and visual elements of photography to create dynamic, visually arresting imagery.

Intermediate photography students will work on a variety of projects designed to further explore the technical and aesthetic aspects of photography. More advanced skills, such as double printing, hand coloring, and computer manipulation will shape this course. Students will develop a personal vision while strengthening their understanding of visual design.

This course will serve as an introduction into seeing the world in a new way. Through the medium of manual and digital SLR cameras, students will learn the fundamentals of picture taking, image manipulation, and print development. A variety of alternative photography projects will be assigned including cyanotypes and photographic collage. Students will be introduced to the aesthetics and visual elements of photography to create dynamic, visually arresting imagery.

This is a portfolio development course for serious photography students that will enable them to build upon the technical and conceptual skills introduced in previous photography courses. Students will develop a range of art/photography concepts and are required to work within a variety of two-dimensional techniques, media and subject matter. This course will provide students with the will focus on working through each project to create portfolio-quality work for college submission an the AP College Board.

In this course students will learn the aesthetics involved in communicating a message through effective design. Conceptual problem-solving skills for real-world studio projects will be assigned, including: editorial design, advertising, posters, packaging, and promotional collateral. Focus will be on studying and applying an aesthetic knowledge of artwork, typography, and the elements of design to solve conceptual problems and

of artwork, assigning and collaborating with photographers/ illustrators/ programmers, and developing an understanding of the web and printing process. Using programs such as InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator, this class will be an innovative challenge in creating effective design solutions.

This course will be an in-depth exploration in creating graphic solutions for design problems. Conceptual problem-solving skills will be further developed for real- world studio projects such as: advertising, magazines/ books, promotional packaging and web design.

Focus will be on art directing and designing client- related projects with realistic deadlines. Students will collaborate, create artwork, write and conceptualize typography, and incorporate the elements of design to communicate their ideas effectively. Further investigation of design software, such as: In Design, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator will be utilized. Creativity, critical thinking, and wit are ingredients students will apply to every exciting problem-solving project.

The goal of this course is for students to create an innovative, modern portfolio that illustrates the ability to stay on-trend, think outside the box and design for the page as well as the screen. Students will develop their own ideas, to develop ideas and how to best communicate them graphically through image creation and typography will be emphasized. Assignments will include book design, packaging, brand identity, posters, magazines, print and digital design forms. This advanced design and typography course will focus on working through each project to create portfolio-quality work for college submission and the AP college board.

This course is designed to stimulate an operational design/media firm that allows for individual and collaborative work. This program is tailored for students interested in further developing their professional skills in design and global branding strategies. This course involves a variety of processes including: collaborative group work, think tank brainstorming, research, hands-on labs, and design analysis. Project work is constructed to bridge together multiple disciplines, thereby creating connections between Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Art topics. A main goal of the program is to experience a real- world collaborative setting, interacting and problem-solving with peers and professionals. Through these connections, designers will create new materials of value that are responsive to the needs and wants of a integrate the best in design and design thinking. Students are educated not only in a variety of graphic disciplines, but also in the complex interrelationships of all the visual vocabularies.

In this foundation course students will explore the different elements of digital video production as they produce various projects throughout the year. Students will learn the process of single-camera production starting with pre-production and ending with non-linear editing using Final Cut Pro, Apple’s professional grade practical assessments and a midterm exam are also requirements of the course. Video Foundation is the prerequisite for all other Video courses.

This class is designed for students who are serious about raising the caliber of their video production skills and want to create a more sophisticated body of work. Students at this level will study the elements of effective storytelling and explore more conceptual approaches composition and sound design will be explored in more depth. Students will also be introduced to the television studio and working in a multi-camera environment. Students should expect to put in more work outside of class in order to complete more the projects at this level.

Advanced Video is designed for students who wish to pursue single-camera production in a more professional manner and perhaps after high school. Students will propose original self-directed projects and focus on Students will spend a good deal of time outside of class working collaboratively to complete longer and more sophisticated projects. The second semester will focus on work in preparation for a professional reel.

In this course students will learn how to operate the various positions in the television studio and control room in order to design and deliver MHS’s daily news show to the entire school. Students will rotate the various roles in front of and behind the camera. In addition to studio participation, students will also write weekly news stories and produce video segments for each marking period. **Students must apply for this course.