Valley Central High School

ART DEPARTMENT
Life is short,
Art is Long….
 Base Level Courses
•Studio in Art
•Drawing and Design I
•Art History
No skill/talent required
 Studio in Art
•Fine arts foundation course
•Projects emphasize technique and skills, and
creative thought processes.
•Explores drawing, painting, graphics and the
history of art.
 Drawing and Design I
•This is a design foundation
course in which students build
confidence in their drawing
ability from both observation
and imagination.
• Learn the language of
technical and perspective
drawing to describe forms
from a variety of problems,
which encourage
imaginative and practical
solutions.
Art History

• The study of art from a

historical viewpoint.

• Learning art from

history rather than from
production of art
projects.

•Recommended for any

art major, college bound
students, and students
who enjoy history.
Advanced Art Courses
(Talent/Skill Required)
Level I: Ceramics, Crafts, Draw/
Design II, Draw/Paint I, Fashion Illus.,
Interior Design, Sculpture, Vis Comm

Level II: Ceramics II, Trad. Photo,

Digital Photo, Computer Graphics

Level III: Portfolio Prep/ AP Art

Level I Courses

Some talent and

skill required
 Ceramics
•Learn to work with
clay, using a variety of
hand building methods.

•Work with the pinch

method, coil, slab
building and additive
and subtractive
sculpture.

•Learn about glazing

and various decorative
methods Pre-Req: Studio or DD I
Full Year Course
 Crafts
•Gain skill and knowledge in
traditional and contemporary
crafts.

•Use equipment and tools with

skill, through hands-on
experiences.

•Explore relief printmaking,

sculpture, paper mache, clay work,
yarn work, paper craft, and
calligraphy

Pre-req: Studio or DDI

Full year Course
 Design and Drawing II
•Model Making
techniques and
technical drawing
applied to a series of
long-term design
problems year.

•Connections
between design,
materials and
technology will be
learned as well as an
understanding of the
process and how
design works in both
historical context and
future vision. Pre-Req: Studio or DD I
Full Year Course
 Drawing and Painting I
•Given experiences in
acrylic, pastel, conte,
pencil, watercolor, pen
and ink, oil paint, etc.
•Improve skills and be
prepared to find areas
that they wish to
concentrate on in
department courses
•Necessary as part of a
portfolio building
sequence.
Pre-Req: Studio or DDI
Full Year Course
Fashion Illustration
•Design problems specific to
fashion and the
psychology/sociology of
fashion
•Drawing of the figure,
visualization techniques ,
exploration of color, texture
and pattern, fashion history,
and the merchandising of
fashion and style

Pre-Req: Studio or DD I
Half Year Course
Interior Design
•Research and
creatively solve
problems relative to the
function and quality of
people's interior
environments
• This course will cover
interior perspective,
spatial analysis, color
theory, material studies,
lighting and furniture Pre-Req: Studio or DD I
design Half Year Course
Sculpture
•Pursue an art curriculum
specifically in three
dimensional work.

•Understand the
processes involved in
creating sculpture in both
resistant and plastic
materials.

•Explore studio projects in

paper, plaster, ceramic
and plasticine, clay,
wood, polystyrene,
recycled/acquired
materials, etc.

Pre-Req: Studio or DD I
Full Year Course
Visual Communication
•Develop their skills in
illustration in various color
media.

•Creative process is
stressed as students solve
problems in which the only
means of communicating
an idea is visually

•Focus of the course is

hands-on illustration: some
computer work will be
introduced.

Pre-Req: Studio or DDI

Half Year Course
 Level II Courses

More Talent and Skill Required

Ceramics II
•Create complex and
challenging projects using
hand-building methods.

•Spend time learning to use

the potters’ wheels to
produce ceramic works of art
and utilitarian pieces.

•Produce wheel made bowls,

mugs, teapots and other
useful wares.

Pre-Req: Ceramics I
Full Year Course
Computer Graphics
•Become proficient in graphic
design and computer art

•Gain a full understanding of

design programs and digital
accessories

•Projects will include computer

illustration, typography, page
layout and digital manipulation.

•Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator,

and InDesign and web design
will be utilized.
Pre-Req: DD II or Draw/Paint I or
Vis Comm or Photo: Jr./Sr. only
Full Year Course
 Drawing and Painting II
•Awaken creative abilities as well as
develop skills necessary to produce
quality work for use in college entry
portfolios

•Master drawing and painting

techniques learned in Drawing and
Painting I

•Use oil paints, acrylics, charcoal,

colored pencils, ink, and watercolor
in this course and will be
encouraged to explore areas of
interest
Pre-Req: Draw/Paint I
Full Year Course
Digital Photography
•Technical methods and
photographic aesthetics
will be explored, as well
as the use of the
computer to manipulate
and produce printed
images.

•Students must have a

digital camera to
complete the course
work.

Pre-Req: Studio or DD I
Jr/Sr. Only
Half Year Course
Traditional Photography
•Creative possibilities of traditional
photographic methods in a wet
darkroom as an art form.

•Each student is encouraged to

provide their own 35mm camera
and is fully responsible for the
purchase of film and paper for the
course

•All assignments require work

beyond the classroom
Pre-Req: Studio or DD I
Jr/Sr. Only
Half Year Course
 Level III Courses

For Talented/Skilled Students

Portfolio Preparation
•Continue working in an art sequence
and concentrating on areas the individual
student wishes to improve on and
explore.

•Customized to individual needs

•Direct the art experience they have and

utilize experimental techniques

•Both the art major and for those taking

AP ART to give college bound students
the much needed time for college
portfolio preparation. Pre-Req: Any Level I
or Level II Course
•Help students to “round out” portfolios. Jr/Sr Only
AP Art
•For juniors and seniors wishing to
prepare a portfolio for college credit

•Create new work and reworking

previous projects to create the
required portfolio in the areas of
quality, breadth, and concentration.
•
•Students will submit the portfolio to
the AP board for review in 2-D
Design, Drawing or 3-D Design

•Students may sign up as Juniors

and Seniors for this course. The
portfolio is submitted in May of the
senior year.

Pre-Req: At least two Level I/Level

II Courses
Jr./Sr. Only
Taken with Portfolio Preparation
VCHS has one of the largest and
most extensive art departments in the
regional area…
VCHS Art Faculty
Patti Lunden, MS/HS Art Dept. Supervisor
•BS and MS in Art Education
(SUNY College at Buffalo)
• NYS Administrative Certification (Massachusetts
College of Liberal Arts)
•Serves as a Mentor for Viking Mentoring Program
•Teaches Draw/Paint I, II,Portfolio/Ap and Vis Comm

Trisha Appel
•BS in Art Education with a Photography
Concentration and a Psychology Minor
(SUNY New Paltz)
•Pursuing a Master of Professional Studies in
Humanistic Multicultural Education at SUNY New
Paltz.
• Advisor of the Photo Club
• Teaches Studio Art, Digital Photo and Trad. Photo
ng from Pratt Institute where she also was certified in Art Education. She did graduate work at both Pratt Institute and SUNY New Paltz in Ceramics a

VCHS Art Faculty

Peggy Kennedy
•BFA in Painting and Art Education certification
(Pratt Institute).
•Graduate work at both Pratt Institute and SUNY
New Paltz in Ceramics and Art History
•Was chairperson for 27 years
•Advisor to NART, founded Festival of Arts
•This year taught Studio in Art
•Will be retiring this year after 35 years!

Carol Ann Kronyak

•BFA in Sculpture Montclair State College.
•MFA in Sculpture/ Art Certification
(SUNY New Paltz)
•Adjunct professor at both Montclair State and
SUNY New Paltz
•PTSA parent/teacher liaison
•Co-advisor for the Ski/Snowboard Club
• Teaches Studio, Drawing/Design I, Sculpture
VCHS Art Faculty
Kimberly Star Langlitz
•BFA in Graphic Design
(SUNY Oswego)
•Master’s in Industrial Design/Art Certification
(Pratt Institute)
•Studied furniture design with the Denmark School
of Furniture
•Teaches Draw/Design I, II, Computer Graphics and
Vis Comm

Jacqueline Schneider
•BA in Studio Art with a Ceramics concentration
(SUNY Oswego)
•MA in Studio/Painting/Art Certification
(SUNY New Paltz)
•Art advisor for Revelation, the school’s magazine
•Teaches Studio, Ceramics I, II, III, Draw/Paint I
VCHS Art Faculty
Karen Teig
•BS in Art Education-major in
painting/minor in art history
(SUNY New Paltz)
•MS in Instructional Technology
(NYIT)
•Advises For the Animals club
•Teaches Studio, Crafts and Art History
Art Courses offer
Opportunities to think critically and creatively
Opportunities to really get to know classmates
Opportunities to express the real you
Opportunities to challenge yourself
Opportunities to surprise yourself
Opportunities to have the best time in a high school class…
Every student enrolled in an art class in
2007-08 has kept a sketchbook journal
which is counted toward their grade.

•Encourages higher
level thinking
•Encourages self-
reflection
•Requires informational
writing
In 2007-08, the Graphics Lab was
updated physically and technically
with state of the art programs and
hardware.
4 sections of Digital Photo were
added to the Art program in
2007-08
The overwhelming majority of Art
Seniors are accepted to all colleges
they apply to for art, including their first
choice schools.
Of 1400 freshman through juniors,
almost 700 have chosen to continue
to take art classes in 2008-09.
Young people who consistently participate
in comprehensive, sequential, and rigorous
arts programs are:
- 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic
achievement
- 3 times more likely to be elected to class office
within their schools
- 4 times more likely to participate in a math and
science fair
- 3 times more likely to win an award for school
attendance
- 4 times more likely to win an award for writing an
essay or poem.
Source: Americans for the Arts (www.artsusa.org).
The arts provide children with:
different ways to process information and
express their knowledge
- the ability to think creatively in areas like
math and science

- the ability to be independent and

collaboration skills
(source: Young Audiences, Inc.
www.youngaudiences.org)
The arts also :
teach children to make good
judgments about qualitative
relationships.

- celebrate multiple perspectives -

showing students that there are many
ways to see and interpret the world
The arts also:
•make it clear that neither words in their
literal form nor numbers exhaust what we
can know. The limits of our language do
not define the limits of our cognition.

•help children learn to say what cannot be

said. They must learn to reach into their
poetic capacities to find the words to
describe how the work of art makes them
feel.
(source: National Art Education Association website -
www.naea-reston.org/tenlessons.html From Elliot Eisner's book: The Arts and the
Creation of Mind)
Song by Tom Chapin

Song and facts from:

http://www.notonthetest.com/

Thank you for supporting the arts at VC!