US Curriculum Detail

Visual Arts

The upper school visual arts program nurtures and aids students in becoming discerning users of visual expression. Each course concentrates on skill building as well as on the introduction of visual concepts and critical visual analysis. The main goals of the upper school visual arts program are to awaken each student’s creative enthusiasm, and to develop confidence in the process of expression and interpretation of ideas. Toward those goals, the curriculum encompasses studio work and investigation.

Specific elective offerings may depend on adequate enrollment for each year, and are offered in alternating years.
 

  • IB Vis Arts HL1

    This Visual Arts HL course is intended for highly motivated students who are seriously interested in the study of visual art.  First year students are introduced to a variety of techniques and media and begin the process of developing independent study and research habits including maintaining a visual arts journal.  Students investigate the IB core syllabus areas:  visual arts in context, methods of art making and communication of visual arts.  Summer work in the form of research, writing, and visual explorations are requirements of this course. Research-based museum trips are an integral part of this course experience.

  • IB Vis Arts HL2

    The HL year 2 course continues the curriculum core syllabus outlined above. This course encourages individually directed studio work and requires independent research of artists, art making practices, and the cultural contexts in which they exist.  Student's theoretical, art-making, and curatorial practices culminate in the completion of the IB exam components during this year.  Summer work in the form of research, writing, and visual explorations are requirements of this course in preparation for the school year. Research-based museum trips are an integral part of this course experience.


  • Visual Arts Foundations

    This required foundational course emphasizes the development of visual literacy skills, self-expression, and analytical and innovative thinking. Two and three-dimensional explorations are designed to investigate and apply the elements of visual art and the principles of design. Students create work through a variety of media and techniques as they explore projects that address themes of identity, story-telling, community, and stewardship.  Students create and maintain a sketchbook to organize, document, assess, plan, reflect, and review visual works and concepts.  Regular discussions encourage students to express their ideas through both visual means and language.  Both individual and collaborative projects are part of the course curriculum.
    This course is the prerequisite for all visual arts electives.


  • Visual Arts Major 1

    In this course students create and organize a body of work through visual investigation, studio practice, and exhibition. Students explore composition skills, media, techniques, the study of art history in connection to studio work, visual analysis, and the use of themes. Various media and techniques are available to each student based on their interests, and students can create works in analog or digital formats.  Field trips are an integral part of course, and special attention is given to portfolio development. Summer work in the form of research, writing, and visual explorations are requirements of this course in preparation for the school year.

    This is a non-IB (neither certificate or diploma) course for students interested in a visual arts experience as a major. If the student’s schedule allows, this course can be taken as the first part of a two-year commitment: Visual Arts Major 1 followed Visual Arts Major 2.

    Prerequisite:  Visual Arts Foundations and Drawing

  • Visual Arts Major 2

    This course complements the Visual Arts Major 1 course by adding greater depth of study in terms of technique, media, and self-direction. Special attention can be given to designing and creating college application portfolios. Summer work in the form of research, writing, and visual explorations are requirements of this course in preparation for the school year. Research-based museum trips are an integral part of this course experience. 

    This is a non-IB (neither certificate or diploma) course for students interested in a visual arts experience as a major for a second year of exploration.

    Prerequisite: Visual Arts Major 1


  • 2D Design

    This second level elective course builds on concepts introduced in Visual Arts Foundations, concentrating on two-dimensional design principles and processes.  A wide range of project and visual research experiences aim to exercise the student’s understanding of the elements of visual art and the principles of design. Students will explore various media and techniques which may include, but are not limited to: drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, digital graphics, photography, and pen and ink. Description, interpretation, and communication through images are emphasized as well as the application of the creative thinking process.  A research-based museum trip may be a part of this course experience.

    This course will be offered in the 2024-25 school year
    Prerequisite: Visual Arts Foundations

  • 2D Visual Arts Studies

    This second level elective course is a continuation of the concepts introduced in the Visual Arts Foundation course. This course is designed to explore two-dimensional studio design concepts, media, and techniques in greater depth through various techniques and media concentrations. A wide range of project and visual research experiences exercise the student’s understanding of the elements and principles of design. Visual interpretation and communication through images are emphasized, as well as the application of design thinking process. Analog and digital formats will be explored. A research-based museum trip may be a part of this course experience.
     
    If the student’s schedule allows, this course can be taken more than once with various levels of creative study and work. This course will be offered in the 2022-23 school year with Drawing, Painting and Digital Photography as the areas of concentration. 
    Prerequisite: Visual Arts Foundations

  • 3D Design

    This second level elective course focuses on the study and application of three-dimensional design principles and processes.  A wide range of project and research experiences will expand the student’s understanding of space, volume, mass, scale, form, structure, function, and purpose. Various techniques and media concentrations will be explored, these may include but are not limited to: ceramics, sculpting, structural design, assemblage, and digital fabrication. Students will continue to explore communication through visual means and the creative process as they exercise their understanding of 3-dimensional objects in the spatial world.  A research-based museum trip may be a part of this course experience.

    This course will be offered in the 2024-25 school year
    Prerequisite: Visual Arts Foundations


  • 3D Visual Arts Studies

    This second level elective course is designed to study and apply three-dimensional design principles and theories using various techniques and media concentrations. A wide range of project and research experiences will expand the student’s understanding of space, scale, form, and function. These include but are not limited to: ceramics, sculpture, environmental/structural design, assemblage. Students continue to explore in greater depth what creativity means as a 21st century skill and how to use the creative design cycle. The various creative processes will include both analog and digital techniques. 
    If the student’s schedule allows, this course can be taken more than once with various levels of creative study and work. This course will be offered in the 2022-23 school year with Sculpture and Ceramics as areas of concentration. 

    Prerequisite: Visual Arts Foundations
     

  • 3-D Visual Arts Studies (.5 credit)

    This second level elective course is a continuation of the concepts introduced in the Visual Arts Foundation course. The course is specifically designed to study and apply the elements of visual systems through three-dimensional design principles and theories using various techniques and media concentrations. A wide range of project and research experiences exercise the student’s understanding of space, scale, form, and function. These include but are not limited to:  ceramics, sculpture, environmental/structural design, construction assemblage, object product design, 3-D imaging, and 3-D visual communication. Students continue to explore in greater depth what creativity means as a 21st century skill and how to use the creative process cycle: Inspire-Explore-Create-Evaluate. The various creative processes will include both analog and digital techniques. A field trip is an integral part of this course experience, in museum visits for visual research. 

    * If the student’s schedule allows, this course can be taken more than once with various levels of creative study and work. This course will be offered in the 2022-23 school year with Sculpture and Ceramics as areas of concentration.

    Prerequisite: Visual Arts Foundations

  • Digital Design

    This second level art course offers the opportunity to work with technology as a visual communication medium. Students will experiment with digital and lens based methods of making work to produce both still and moving images that focus on communicating ideas. Various techniques and media will be explored, including photography, animation, video, and computer graphics. Individual, collaborative, and interdisciplinary projects encourage students to find meaning and connections as they express themselves through their visual solutions.
    Specific elective offerings may depend on schedule and adequate enrollment for each year.

    This course will be offered in the 2025-26 school year 
    Prerequisite: Visual Arts Foundations

  • Digital Visual Communication

    This course offers the opportunity to work with technology as an artistic and visual communication medium. Students explore the role of photographer, visual communication designer, animator, and film editor. They work with the challenges that these roles bring to produce visual communication design projects. Visual interpretation and communication through images are emphasized, as well as the qualities of innovative and effective design solutions. Digital photography, digital imaging, and video will be used as the main image gathering processes. 
    Specific elective offerings may depend on schedule and adequate enrollment for each year. This course will be offered in the 2023-24 school year. 

    Prerequisite: Visual Arts Foundations.

  • Drawing

    This second level elective course uses the practice of drawing to build on concepts introduced in Visual Arts Foundations. Students will work from both observation and imagination as they explore the act of drawing as a tool for invention, expression, conceptualization, and idea development.  Perceiving and depicting visual relationships, organizing successful compositions, and illustrating the illusion of form and space will be a focus/concentration of the work created in this course.  A range of drawing media will be used which may include, but is not limited to: pencil, charcoal, conté crayon, pastels, and pen and ink. Interdisciplinary themes of identity, story-telling, community, and stewardship will help give conceptual direction to student work.  A research-based museum trip may be a part of this course experience.
    This course will be offered in the 2024-25 school year.

    Prerequisite: Visual Arts Foundations.

  • IB Visual Arts

    Please contact the visual arts teacher for details as needed about the possibility of enrolling in a one-year SL visual arts course. The Visual Arts program for the International Baccalaureate student at Wilmington Friends is generally scheduled at the Higher Level. It is a two-year course. The student is enrolled in grade 11 for 1 credit and in grade 12 for 1 credit. The exam is taken in the 12th grade year.

  • Independent Study: Art

    Independent study course.

  • Independent Study: Art

    Independent study course.

  • Vis Comm Design - Tech in Visual Arts

    In this course, students are challenged to think and create like a designer / photographer / animator / film editor. They work with the challenges that these roles bring to produce visual communication design projects. Visual interpretation and communication through images are emphasized, as well as the qualities of innovative and effective design solutions. “Lens based” digital photography and video are used as the main image gathering processes. This course uses the applications Photoshop, Flash, iMovie and PowerPoint. A field trip is an integral part of this course experience, with museum visits for visual research. Students will continue to explore in greater depth what creativity means as a 21st century skill and how to use the creative process cycle: Inspire-Explore-Create-Evaluate.

    * If the student’s schedule allows, this course can be taken more than once with various levels of creative study and work.

    * Specific elective offerings may depend on adequate enrollment for each year.

  • Visual Arts Foundations

    This required foundational course emphasizes the development of visual literacy skills, self-expression, and analytical and innovative thinking. Two and three-dimensional explorations are designed to investigate and apply the elements of visual art and the principles of design. Students create work through a variety of media and techniques as they explore projects that address themes of identity, story-telling, community, and stewardship.  Students create and maintain a sketchbook to organize, document, assess, plan, reflect, and review visual works and concepts.  Regular discussions encourage students to express their ideas through both visual means and language.  Both individual and collaborative projects are part of the course curriculum.
    This course is the prerequisite for all visual arts electives.

  • Web Media

    This course focuses on the web browser as a creative medium. The course is broken down into two main parts. In the first part, students learn about the history and cultural impacts of the internet. They look at the fundamentals of interface design and then use this theory in conjunction with HTML and CSS to create a professional-looking website. In the second half of the course, students learn about other technologies available to developers wishing to create a more dynamic interactive experience online. Topics include cryptography, javascript APIs, and animation. Motivated students may take this course a second time. Level two allows students to build on their previous knowledge and incorporate these concepts into more realized projects. This course will be offered in the 2022-23 school year.
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Preschool - 12th Grade
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Wilmington Friends School admits students of any race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students of these schools. Wilmington Friends School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin in administration of their educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school administered programs.