Arts
Majors:
Advanced Computer Graphics
Drawing and Painting
Intensive Film Workshop
Photography
Minors:
Animation*
Beginning Photography*
Black and White and Digital Photography*
Ceramics*
Graphic Design
Metal Arts*
Studio Art*
All Grades
MAJOR
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of design on the computer and concentrates on Adobe PhotoShop, Final Cut Pro, and Web development tools. Using the computer as a creative tool, students blend photography, type, sound, video, animation, and interactivity. While studying various artists using different media in order to understand the elements of design, students develop computer skills to express themselves visually. Students work on various projects throughout the summer, creating digital collages, a short movie, and a Web site that incorporates animation and sound.
Prerequisite: a working knowledge of computers is required. Studio art experience is helpful.
All Grades
EXTENDED MINOR
This course is designed for any student who wishes to see his or her artwork come to life. We will explore different animation techniques such as drawing directly on film, cutouts, claymation, sand, flip books, and drawn animation. Basic movement and timing, soundtrack/dialogue synchronization, and editing are covered. All projects are shot and edited on our state-of-the-art computers and professional production and editing software. A wide range of animated films are screened throughout the summer. No prerequisites or requirements. Just bring lots of imagination.
All Grades
EXTENDED MINOR
This is for the student who seeks an introduction to the use of the camera, black and white film processing, dark room printing, hand coloring, and the history of photography. Segments on alternative darkroom processes and digital imaging using Adobe PrintShop expose you to the real-world techniques being used in the field of digital photography. Frequent in-class critiques, discussion, and trips to the Addison Gallery of American Art's photography collection supplement this rigorous course. No prior photographic experience is expected.
Requirement: Students must have a manually adjustable 35mm camera with a light meter.
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All Grades
EXTENDED MINOR
Students learn the basics of black and white photography and the 35mm camera, as well as how to use digital cameras. Students will be scanning their images, printed in the darkroom, into Adobe Photoshop. Using this program, they transform the images by adding color and using many of the program's altering techniques. Through this class, students gain an understanding of photography and how technology can help change their images. The ultimate challenge of the class is for students to push their creative limits.
Requirement: Students must have a manually adjustable 35mm camera with a light meter.
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All Grades
EXTENDED MINOR
This course discusses the elements of three-dimensional design and focuses on the creative potential of the student. Ceramics at Phillips Academy is comparable to art schools and select universities; the Academy is equipped with facilities for pit firing, high fire gas and Raku. Techniques, glazes, and firing procedures are introduced with the support of books, slides, and the Addison Gallery of American Art and the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology on campus.
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All Grades
MAJOR
The fundamental elements of drawing: line, shape, value, perspective, and composition are emphasized in the initial weeks of this course. Students are introduced to a variety of materials (graphite, charcoal, ink, and acrylic) through a series of exercises that celebrate drawing as a creative act. From drawing, students can expand into the realm of painting and mixed media, working from a variety of approaches.
All Grades
MAJOR
This is a course designed for students who are interested in making a serious commitment to expressing themselves through the motion picture. This intensive program leads the student through an exploration of each aspect of filmmaking, from the conception of an idea to the final steps in editing.
The course is segmented to include film development, pre-production scheduling, production, and editing. Students explore the genre of the fiction film, studying the style and technique of various filmmakers. Projects are produced using some of the most technologically advanced materials and systems available in the Polk-Lillard Electronic Imaging Center. Students gain a greater film/video vocabulary, as well as a technical background allowing them to continue with filmmaking.
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All Grades
EXTENDED MINOR
Make it in metal! Let your creativity shine! This hands-on class introduces students to basic metalworking and jewelry techniques. Design concepts and idea generation will also be discussed. Designs can be translated into jewelry, containers, objects, and small sculpture. Students will learn basic metalworking techniques, including sawing, filing, soldering, stone setting, forging, forming, texturing, fusing, “cold-connecting,” and more. Here’s the opportunity for students to put their chemistry knowledge to use in a practical application.
Imagine a beautiful silver necklace, a patterned bracelet, a sterling silver spoon, or a copper container. Transform two-dimensional designs into three-dimensional objects and enjoy every minute of the process.
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All Grades
MAJOR
This black and white photography course is designed for the beginning through intermediate student. Students are taught how to use a 35mm camera, develop negatives and print in a professional darkroom, while also learning some alternative techniques. They are introduced to the images of renowned photographers through presentation and discussion. The course requires the student to initiate and execute a body of work culminating in the production of a portfolio consisting of 10 photographs.
Requirement: Students must have a manually-adjustable 35mm camera with a light meter.
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All Grades
EXTENDED MINOR
Do you want to become a better artist? Would you like to create a body of quality art work that can later be used in a college portfolio?
Learn the tools of the studio artist. Through study of the elements and principles of design, students will create various works of art using a variety of media. Techniques in painting, drawing, printmaking, and computer design are the primary focus of Studio Art. Classic subjects such as portraits, still life, landscape, and the figure will comprise much of the subject matter in this class. Students will watch art films and visit local galleries to supplement the curriculum.
All Grades
MINOR
Have you ever tried to design a poster, flyer, business card, yearbook or a major presentation and been stymied by the considerable choices you must make? In our information-driven society, graphic design principles and concepts are needed more than ever to bring balance, clarity, and visual appeal to content of all varieties. Noted graphic designer Paul Rand said “To design is much more than simply to assemble, to order, or even to edit; it is to add value and meaning, to illuminate, to simplify, to clarify, to modify, to dignify, to dramatize, to persuade and perhaps even to amuse. To design is to transform prose into poetry. Design broadens perception, magnifies experience and enhances vision. Design is the product of feeling and awareness, of ideas that originate in the mind of the spectator."