Both the art and literature programs emphasize works of aesthetic value that transcend particular cultures and speak to all of humanity. The goal of Upper School studio art and art history instruction at MCDS is for students to better understand how art is made, appreciate the roles art has played through the centuries, and realize how much enjoyment they can have in both making and looking at beautiful works of art. Aesthetic experience is an integral, liberating and irreducible component of human experience. The majority of class time will be devoted to learning the techniques of, and creating, art. The art history portion not only fosters ways of seeing but also provides a context that traces the development of civilization. Students learn how to make aesthetic and critical judgments of art, including of their own work. Ongoing art shows display the selected works of our students.

Grade 9 Studio Art I
Drawing is taught using an atelier approach as a core skill throughout the course. This course is an opportunity for students to build a foundation in the elements and principles of art and design. Students practice and learn the discipline of drawing, then alternate between the disciplines of drawing, painting and sculpting. Media used includes: pencil, charcoal, pastel and conte crayons; watercolors as well as acrylic and mixed media; and, clay, foam and wood. At the end of the year the students may choose to specialize in one of the three disciplines for the remainder of the course. The final term is devoted to the examination project, which is taken within a discipline of the student’s choice.

Grade 10 Studio Art II
Students receive studio experience in analytical and subjective drawing using a variety of subject matter: figure studies, nature studies and imaginative drawings. Students will also work at landscape painting on campus. The emphasis is on seeing what truly exists before the eye as well as developing a basic level of comfort and proficiency with standard painting tools and acrylic paints. In sculpting, traditional forms of modeling and casting will be studied through studio work and examples from slide lectures. Students will create representations of natural objects with sketches, clay, wood and foam. Students will produce at least one large-scale work.

Grade 11 Art History
The course is based on slide lecture and presentation and prepares students for the AP Art History Exam. The primary textbooks for the course are E.H. Gombrich’s The Story of Art and Janson’s History of Art. The course is based in the study of Western art and civilization as the story of a continuous weaving and changing of traditions in which each work refers to the past and points to the future. Those students wishing to work independently in the studio can make arrangements with the instructor. The first half of the year will cover art from cave painting through the early Renaissance. The second half of the year will begin with the Renaissance and finish with Modern Experimental Art and Architecture. The AP test will take place in May. It will cover the entire course and consist of slide identification, compare and contrast and multiple choice and essay writing areas. It is expected that all students will take the exam.

Grade 12 Studio Art, Option A
AP Studio Art is a portfolio preparation class culminating with the presentation of approximately twenty-nine art works to the College Board. Students may select one of three areas available for the portfolio presentation: drawing, 2-D or 3-D. Five pieces of art will be presented physically to the College Board. The others are presented in the form of color transparencies, film positives or color slides. The total body of work must hold together with a visual theme. The works will be judged on quality, concentration and breadth.

Studio Art, Option B
Independent study is given regular oversight by the instructor. Each student will follow a program of work based on his or her own particular interests. This course differs only in degree from Option A.

Studio Art, Option C
This option is for the student interested in a broader and more general Studio Art option than that of Option A.

Photography or Ceramics Photography
Photography or Ceramics Photography is a black and white photography course that incorporates camera and darkroom techniques associated with silver print photography. Ceramics includes wheel throwing and hand building techniques such as the coil, pinch and slab methods. The class provides the groundwork for sculptural and functional directions in ceramics.