BJHS Visual Arts Courses

Visual Arts
The visual arts are taught with a comprehensive approach based on the State of Illinois Goals for Learning in the Fine Arts.  Course work includes aesthetics, art criticism, art history, and art production.  Visual art course work is required of all sixth and seventh grade students, and is a part of the arts for life rotation.  At the eighth grade level, students have the opportunity to choose to participate in the arts for life rotation or to take a foreign language.

In the Art Department, students develop their analytical skills by interpreting and judging artworks by master artists for content, style, relevance to culture, and as a source of historic information.  In the art production part of the art curriculum, students work in a studio setting in order to experiment, manipulate and practice making art with a variety of 2-dimensional and 3‑dimensional materials.  These experiences include cooperative learning, research, and presentation.

Sixth grade students explore color theory, basic drawing, and painting skills. The study of clay provides students opportunities to work with 3-dimensional art forms.  In addition, students develop their critical thinking skills by analyzing and studying famous works of art.  The interrelated and interdisciplinary approaches to making art are also a part of our curriculum.

Seventh grade students continue to develop their basic drawing and painting skills and technology is introduced as a tool for visual communication.  The ceramics project provides students the additional opportunity to build on their 3‑dimensional art techniques, while work in drawing focuses on the laws of perspective and line quality. In painting, students explore the world of color theory.  The introduction of technology offers another vehicle for expression and helps prepare students for the 21^st century.  These experiences along with study of multi-cultural arts and historic art styles equip students to visually interpret their world.

Eighth grade students explore more advanced 2-dimensional drawing and 3-dimensional studio techniques.  Some of the techniques include photography, Adobe Photoshop, web page design, and contemporary sculpture construction.  Students study photo history and the history of Baroque, Neo‑Classical, and Contemporary Sculpture.  Learning is extended beyond the classroom with service learning projects where students share with others in the community.