Visual Arts

A student in the Visual Arts program at Loyola Blakefield, through studio experience and the study of Art History, develops an understanding of art as a form of personal expression shaped by cultural, social, and spiritual influences. We believe that the Visual Arts are an important aspect of the liberal arts tradition. It has historically been a tenet of the Jesuit educational approach to learning.

Middle School and Upper School students are offered a variety of courses spanning traditional, digital, and experimental methods of making art. Emphasis is placed on creative growth, self-expression, and self-discipline. Our teachers work collectively to identify student strengths and direct them to personalize their experience.

Students in grades 6-9 explore the arts with foundation studio courses, learning the language of art and understanding aesthetics. (Upcoming 9^th grade students may submit a portfolio during the admissions process to be considered for more advanced elective courses.)

Students in grades 10-12 can pursue personal interests with electives such as Drawing/Mixed Media, Advanced Studio Honors, Ceramics, Advanced Ceramics, Photography/Digital Media, and Photography/Digital Media Honors. Students will learn how to collaborate in critiques, develop a portfolio, and thoughtfully present their art for juried shows. Film Study, open to seniors only, tracks the aesthetics, history, and development of film.

The requirement of History of Art supports Loyola’s mission to teach students to be intellectually ambitious, giving them the opportunity to understand how art reflects the world in which it was created. Knowledge obtained in this course enables students to understand and connect to art experiences as they continue their journey.

Advanced Ceramics

Advanced Ceramics continues the investigation of the clay medium through projects and exercises allowing individual interpretation and expression. Students can strengthen techniques and skills including firing, glazing, hand building, and mixed media. They are encouraged to apply this experience to work informed by their personal interests.
Advanced Photo/Digital Media Honors

In this class, students explore several disciplines within the realm of Digital Media. Units of focus include graphic design, video production, photo manipulation, and 3d design. Students will work with an extensive range of professional digital media software, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Animate, and Blender.
Advanced Photo/Digital Media II Honors

Students create, explore, and execute personally designed projects within the world of either photography or digital media that will further develop strong individual portfolios. Under the teacher’s guidance, the course combines conceptual and aesthetic theory of Advanced Photo/Digital Media I Honors with advanced technical ability. Media ranges from graphic design to video editing, sound production to advanced photo editing workflows. At the culmination of the class, students will publicly present a significantly developed work.
Advanced Studio Honors

The students in this course have successfully completed one or more art electives or submitted a portfolio and been approved to move forward more independently to explore the Visual arts under the guidance of the art teacher. The students will personalize their creative experience with a variety of media, participate in discussions and critiques, and assemble their own art portfolio. Participation in field trips and interaction with guest artists will connect their studio learning to art in the world around them.

The course culminates with a juried art show that they will help to organize and present their work.
Advanced Studio II Honors

This course is designed for students who are working toward a strong and diverse art portfolio. Students will personalize their projects while developing their own aesthetic. Under the guidance of the teacher, students will be encouraged to experiment and develop their individual interests and creative skills. They will engage in visits to various museums and benefit from interacting with guest speakers. The year will culminate with a juried show providing for them experience with art presentation.
Advanced Studio III Honors

The Seniors in this course have completed Advanced Studio Honors II and are ready to narrow their focus to a more specific body of artwork. As seniors, they will set their sight on an area of special interest in the arts and commit to producing a contemplative portfolio that will showcase their talent and their dedication to the arts and to the Loyola grad at grad. They will set a goal for the direction of their work and create projects to support these goals under the direction of the teacher. Museum and gallery visits will occur throughout the year. Guest speakers will be invited to inspire their creativity within various fields. The year will culminate with a juried show which they will help to assemble.
Ceramics I

This elective course for sophomores, juniors, and seniors (freshmen students with portfolio review/teacher recommendation) investigates the clay medium through projects and exercises allowing individual interpretation and expression. Students will learn various techniques and skills including firing, glazing, and staining with a concentration on hand building and mixed media approaches to 3-d design. Ongoing critiques and dialogues help the student to develop a personal style and understanding. Students are given opportunities for guided museum visits.
Digital Media I

In this class, students explore a number of disciplines within the realm of Digital Media. Units of focus include graphic design, video production, audio composition, photo manipulation, and web design. Students will work with an extensive range of professional digital media software, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Processing, Final Cut Pro, and GarageBand.
Drawing - Mixed Media

The curriculum for Drawing/Mixed Media focuses on skills for drawing, with emphasis on perspective, portrait drawing, and observational drawing in a variety of media. Projects, critiques, and discussions related to the history of art will build a sensitive perception of the visual arts. Students will be strengthening their drawing skills and developing their personal aesthetic. They will connect the relationship of drawing to other art forms such as painting, printmaking, and 3-dimensional design. They will understand the connection of art to the real world through discussion and museum visits.
Foundations of Art

This one semester course establishes a solid foundation in the Visual Arts through a balance of sketchbook journaling, media experimentation, and research that leads to creative, project-based assessments, both two and three dimensional. These projects teach the application of developed skills through a variety of media. Students generate personal responses to art through an understanding of aesthetics, as exemplified through the work of renowned artists, both past and present. Students will recognize how the arts reflect what happens in the world and the importance of creativity and self-expression.
History of Art

This course focuses on art of the Western world. By studying what artists have created throughout the ages and the social, economic, and political environments that have influenced them, the student may begin to understand more clearly that art reflects the world in which it was created, that art has had a significant impact on society throughout history, and that creative self-expression is an important aspect of the life of every human being. Class presentations lead to a discovery of art then and now.
Photography I

This elective course is designed to provide students with a strong background in both traditional and contemporary practices of photography. Students will learn how the analog and digital camera work, various technical and aesthetic approaches to photographic composition, and workflow strategies as well as postproduction editing techniques. By the end of the year, students will have begun to develop a unique style of their own.
Studio Art 6

Studio 6 is a hands-on, multimedia course that reviews the elements and principles of design and incorporates them with problem solving and persistence. Students will develop observation and technical skills in drawing, painting, sculpture, and various other art mediums. This is currently an elective for 6th grade artists.
Studio Art 7

Studio 7 helps to build on or create the backbone of their middle school art experience. Students will develop observation and technical skills in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and various other art mediums. This exposure to various mediums and cultural exemplars will adequately prepare them for eighth grade art or serve as a springboard for the high school art program.
Studio Art 8

Studio 8 art students will be made aware of the creative process, which includes brainstorming, problem solving, and analyzing and evaluating art. This course heavily focuses on building observational drawing skills, using reference photos, drawing from imagination, while leaving room for a student's own personal ideas and artistic style. This is currently an elective for 8th grade artists.