Art
The Alberta High School Art curriculum is designed to develop students' visual literacy, creative expression, critical thinking, and aesthetic awareness. Its primary purpose is to move students beyond simply creating images to becoming thoughtful, skilled, and articulate participants in the world of visual culture.
The program supports students in achieving four main goals across the domains of production, aesthetics, history, and criticism.
Art 10 (5 credits)
No prerequisite
Art 10 is an introductory course designed to teach students the basic concepts, skills, and media associated with art and design. It is fast paced and challenging, with an emphasis on skill development. While the main goal is to aptly prepare students moving into higher levels of Art & Design (Art 20, 30, 35, and beyond), the guiding principle of Art 10 is that every student should leave the course with a strong enough foundation of skills and knowledge of materials to sustain a meaningful and successful art practice throughout their lives, regardless of the field they pursue. This course teaches you the basic principles of drawing and painting so you can flexibly apply them to whatever you want to achieve. A course fee will be charged.
Art 20 (5 credits)
Prerequisite: 50% in Art 10
Art 20 presents a more in depth study of the techniques, skills, and concepts associated with Art & Design. Students will build on the basics learned in Art 10 and thus a more sophisticated response to art assignments and problem solving is expected at this level. A course fee will be charged.
Art 30 (5 credits)
Prerequisite: 50% in Art 20
Art 30 challenges young artists to solve more complex studio assignments, again building on the knowledge developed at the previous levels. It is expected that an individual style and approach to image making will begin to emerge, thus making for unique, personal, and masterful works. A course fee will be charged.
Art 35 (5 credits)
Prerequisite: 80% in Art 30 and teacher approval
Portfolio Art 35 is designed for students who are serious about their intentions to continue their studies of Art at a post-secondary level. Three major areas of focus drive the course: investigative skills, technical skills, and the demonstration of the ability to compose and curate a collection of strong visual expressions. This is an advanced course designed for serious art students to build upon skills and elements developed in Art 30, and develop their personal vision as a young artist in an independent way. Art portfolios are planned and executed entirely by the students, with some oversight and facilitation by the teacher. This course pushes the student to achieve a level of excellence and sophistication in their creative development. When planning and developing their portfolio, students should be purposeful in terms of the theme, subject, and media they are dealing with in each project. A course fee will be charged.