Art

Studio Courses
All studio courses earn credit toward the studio/performance arts requirement. The 300-level studio courses have specific 200-level prerequisites. Portfolios from new upper-level students must demonstrate accomplishment in these specific areas in order to bypass those prerequisite courses. Art 444 and Art 300 level courses may be repeated. Portfolio completion will be expected of students by faculty in such continuations of studio work. Art 444 is also a prerequisite for any studio field course or Senior Project. The Art Department recommends that students who intend to concentrate in the studio arts take Art 200 before taking any other offering; in addition, students interested in taking Painting, Printmaking, and/or Sculpture should consider taking Drawing before entering these courses. The Art Department does not ideologically support the AP in Studio Art and therefore does not address its requirements in the studio courses. With the help of instructors, all students in upper-level courses will document their work digitally and/or with slide film in order to develop their portfolios. Art faculty are willing to help any student—no matter what courses he/she is enrolled in—to document his/her work for portfolio development and/or to create strong support materials for college applications. Fees for slide film, processing, and CD-Rs will be charged to individual student accounts as necessary. All students will incur individual fees for community studio supplies. Except for courses in which all materials are provided, instructors will provide students with a list of required tools and materials, all of which can be acquired at the campus bookstore. Students receiving financial aid should speak with their instructors about receiving assistance in purchasing expensive tools and materials.


ART200: PROJECTS IN STUDIO ART
This experimental course provides both the novice and experienced student with the opportunity to create works of art using a variety of art mediums, including graphite, color media, collage, and clay.  Students are encouraged to think critically and creatively as they make two-dimensional and three-dimensional works of art.  Composition, color theory, perspective, scale, form and other essential art vocabulary terms will be taught through hands-on studio experiences and sketchbook assignments. Students will periodically view slides of the work of artists, both past and present, to enhance their own projects.Studio fee: $25.

ART201: ARCHITECTURE I
Students are asked to create spaces for people to use in a variety of functions and scales. After working with grids and building a structural device, the course will end with the design of a building for a New Hampshire site.  Students will investigate and accommodate the seasons and the angles of the sun. Their designs will also incorporate efficient utilizations of several energy sources. Comparisons will be made to architectural conventions in other parts of the world and in other periods of time.  Studio fee: $20.

ART202: CERAMICS I
This course introduces students to methods used to create forms with clay. Throwing on the potter's wheel and hand-building are explored to create a series of pieces. Mastery of skills introduced, pride in craftsmanship, and exploration of personal vision are integral to the class curriculum. Each student will receive instruction in the techniques for forming and modelilng clay. Although traditional methods of construction and surface decoration are explored as a part of the medium's potential, students are encouraged to imagine other possibilities as well to create unique works. Exploration into the unique physical characteristics of clay and how it contributes to the content of the work being formed will be a focus of the course. The bowl made on the potter's wheel will be used as a starting point for the course as a community service project to raise hunger awareness. Contemporary pottery and potters, as well as artists that inspire form, are considered in project assignments. The culmination of pieces created will evolve from the student choices throughout the process: concept, construction, technique (wheel, hand-building/modeling), surface decoration, glazing, and firing. Studio fee: $50.

ART203: DRAWING I: WORKING FROM LIFE
This drawing course is perfect for both the beginning artist and the experienced drawing student. In and out of the studio, students will explore a variety of drawing techniques using a wide range of materials, including pencil, graphite, and color media. Sources of inspiration include still-life arrangements, the landscape, anatomy, and photographic references. Slide talks, group discussions and sketchbook assignments will enhance ongoing studio projects. The viewing of relevant works of art will provide art historical background and technical detail to both inspire and enrich the students’ own work. The sketchbook will serve as a visual journal for process work and practice sketches. All materials are provided via the studio fee. Studio fee: $75.

ART204: PAINTING I: COLOR & DESIGN
This studio course will introduce students to basic painting techniques and color theory.  Throughout the painting process, students will learn key elements such as form, color, composition, texture and space.  Students will render imagery created from a variety of sources, including real objects, nature, and still images. An emphasis is placed on seeing what truly exists before the eye as well as developing a basic level of comfort and proficiency with standard painting tools and water-mixable oil paints.  Students will learn paper and canvas preparation. Periodically, students will reference the department’s extensive digital image and slide collections, as well as art books from the Academy library and online museum sites. Only non-toxic materials and practices are employed.  All materials are provided via the studio fee.  Studio fee: $125.

ART205: PHOTOGRAPHY I
This introduction to photography course stresses the photographic image as a significant visual statement. Through the work done on various assignments the students learn how to make effective compositions that are expressive and meaningful. We will make photo-montages, straight color prints, and create images using Polaroid transfers. The class will use digital cameras, Apple computers, and the software PhotoShop. Students are required to have a digital camera, an SLR or a point and shoot. All materials are supplied via the studio fee. Studio fee: $175.

ART206: PRINTMAKING: MONOTYPES TO MULTIPLES
The printmaking course is a comprehensive workshop that encourages students to experiment with a wide range of printing techniques including relief carving, screen printing, drypoint intaglio, and monotypes. Using surfaces such as linoleum, woodblocks, silk screens, copper plates and a wide variety of carving tools and inks, students will create a substantial print portfolio that explores such concepts as image reversal, multiplicity, color theory, commercial applications and graphic design. Inspiration for projects includes still life objects, photographs, media references and works by artists of the past and present. Students learn traditional and experimental printing techniques using barens, squeegees and the department's etching press. Inventive approaches, including the use of Xerox copies, poster art techniques, pop art multiples and transfer methods will also be explored. Slide presentations and the actual viewing of historically significant prints will enhance studio experiences.
This course employs only nontoxic materials and mediums. All materials are provided via the studio fee. Studio fee: $75.

ART207: SCULPTURE I
Students will explore three-dimensional composition through a variety of approaches and materials, including wood, foam, wire, metal, plaster, clay, and found objects. Projects will include direct observation and representation, formal and structural design of space, and site-specific installation. Studio fee: $40.

ART301: ARCHITECTURE II
 Students will create designs for large-scale public building programs.  Projects will develop environments that can provide space, light and energy for people to use in buildings for the Academy, the town of Exeter and more foreign locations. Visits with professionals involved with the proposed structure’s functions will provide the basis for presenting the details of the student’s plans and models. Prerequisite: Art 201. Offered Fall and Spring Terms. Studio fee: $20.

ART302: CERAMICS II
Ceramics II is a combination of assigned and self-directed projects, as well as a further investigation of shaping clay. This course develops more sophistocated approaches to creating clay pieces. Various methods/techniques used to create forms with clay such as coiling, extruding, and casting will be explored. Pieces may also be created using the wheel and slab work/hand-building. Students will focus on process and exploration, as the broad range of contemporary clay works, both functional and non-functional, are discussed. Contemporary pottery and potters, as well as artists that inspire form, are considered in project assignments. Students will investigate personal meaning and symbolism within the process of creating their ceramic work. Student work created may also be used within the 3D Design AP portfolio. Prerequisite: Art 202. Offered: Winter and Spring Terms. Studio fee: $50.

ART303: DRAWING II: ADVANCED PROJECTS
This advanced studio course encourages a more experimental approach to line and tone as well as form and content. Students will exercise their skills through direct observation of still life, portraiture and still images, but also experiment with drawing as a means to express personal and abstract ideas. Students are encouraged to work on a larger scale and in multiples, and to experiment with non-traditional mediums and mark making. Students are encouraged to develop an individual style of drawing. The sketchbook will play an important role in documenting ideas and recording responses to relevant topics. All materials are provided via the studio fee. Prerequisite: Art 203. Offered: Spring Term. Studio fee: $75.

ART304: PAINTING II: ADVANCED STUDY OF COLOR
Working with a variety of color media, including water-soluble oils, acrylics and color sticks, students will explore the narrative and expressive power of painting. Students will learn to stretch and prepare a canvas as well as experiment with modes of presentation. Through slide viewings, students will examine 20th-century and contemporary approaches to painting and will make connections to their own studio work.  Students will work on large and small-scale canvasses in addition to smaller works on paper. Projects will focus on surreal imagery, abstraction, portraiture, collage techniques and realistic renderings in paint. Digital documentation of works will occur at the end of the term.All materials are provided via the studio fee. Prerequisite: Art 204. Offered Winter and Spring Terms. Studio fee: $125.

ART305: PHOTOGRAPHY II: ADVANCED STUDY
This advanced photography course helps the students develop a personal photographic style. Students work to evolve a unique way of seeing and photographing their world. Students will continue advancing in the realm of digital photography, using the program PhotoShop via an Apple computer. There will be an emphasis in creating large exhibition quality prints.

Students are required to have a digital camera, either a point and shoot, or an SLR. All materials are provided via the studio lab fee. Prerequisite: Art 205. Offered: Winter and Spring Terms. Studio fee: $185.

ART307: SCULPTURE II
 Students will continue to produce three-dimensional forms with the techniques learned in Sculpture I. Traditional forms of modeling and casting will be studied through studio work and examples from slide lectures. Nontraditional media will be explored through individual solutions to advanced projects.Prerequisite: Art 207. Offered: Spring Term. Studio fee: $40.

ART308: SCULPTURE III
To be determined.

ART444: ADVANCED STUDIO ART
This course provides the opportunity to pursue the successful completion of an Advanced Placement portfolio in studio art. The AP portfolio can be done in photography, painting, drawing, ceramics, and architecture. Under the guidance of the instructor, students will set qualitative and quantitative goals for the term in their chosen studio concentration.  Weekly process critiques are an integral part of this course as well as pertinent assignments given by the instructor. In addition, the instructor will meet individually with students to discuss ideas and process, and to suggest references and alternate approaches.  Students will also receive feedback from other Art faculty who specialize in their chosen studio discipline to help them develop projects and portfolios for AP evaluation.  Students who do not wish to take the AP exam may still enroll in this course to create advanced projects, but not submit work to the AP board.  Students may also receive guidance in the development of an art portfolio suitable for college admission criteria.  Each student will complete the course with a digital or slide portfolio and will participate in a final presentation of works. Prerequisite: any 300-level studio course. Offered Fall, Winter, and Spring Terms. Studio Fee: $50. Students pursuing the AP Studio Art Portfolio are responsible for all fees and expenses associated with the College Board.

Art History Courses
Art history courses train students to explore the nature of artistic expressions. Student learning is based on analysis and interpretation of individual works of art within the historical and cultural context of their time and place. All classes include sustained group study of images as well as brief writing assignments, projects, and class presentations to encourage each student to develop a personal critical voice. All classes make field trips to regional museums and galleries to study original works. There are no prerequisites for any art history course. Students interested in preparing for the Advanced Placement Examination in art history should plan on taking three art history courses: ART300, ART410, and ART230 or ART310. Note: An art history course fulfills one credit towards the art requirement, but does not satisfy the studio/performance arts requirement.


ART230: IMPRESSIONISM AND THE AVANT GARDE
Vilified at the beginning, now the popular staple (and huge moneymaker) of major museum exhibitions, the art of the Impressionists is more than just a pretty picture. This course will explore the political, social and creative climates—and the artistic traditions prior to and during the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist periods—through images, discussions, readings and writing assignments, and a museum visit. Students will examine the works and lives of individual artists, including Manet, Degas, Monet, Cassatt, Morisot, Renoir, Pissarro, and others. Offered: Winter Term.


ART300: ART HISTORY I
This course provides a global view to the study of art from before the written word to the Gothic style. Works from the canon of art will be studied, as well as artists and cultures often missing from survey courses. Students will be introduced to various forms of art (architecture, painting, sculpture, and more), and to important movements and periods of art, all within the context of their times. Images, discussions, readings, writing assignments, and a museum visit will provide a thorough exposure to the periods and styles explored.  This course will help students prepare for the Advanced Placement Exam in Art History. Open to Uppers and Seniors, or by permission of the Department. Offered: Winter Term.


ART310: ART HISTORY II
This course provides a global view to the study of art from the Renaissance to the 20th century. Works from the canon of art will be studied, as well as artists and cultures often missing from survey courses. Students will be introduced to various forms of art (architecture, painting, sculpture, and more), and to important movements and periods of art, all within the context of their times. Images, discussions, readings, writing assignments, and a museum visit will provide a thorough exposure to the periods and styles explored. This course will help students prepare for the Advanced Placement Exam in Art History. Open to Uppers and Seniors, or by permission of the Department.  Offered: Spring Term.


ART410: CHALLENGING TRADITION: 20TH-CENTURY ART AND BEYOND
The 20th century witnessed an unprecedented explosion of artistic movements, approaches and styles, and this continues into the 21st century. Art has functioned as an aesthetic, visual and intellectual experience, and has been a reflection of, and a reaction to, society and its times. This course will examine Expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Conceptual Art and other artistic movements, and the works of artists such as Matisse, Picasso, Chagall, Dali, Nevelson, Pollock, Holzer and others. The study of images, discussions, reading and writing assignments, and a museum visit, will provide students with a thorough introduction to important artists and their work. Open to Uppers and Seniors. Offered: Spring Term.