Open Studies Course Registration

Grades K-2: Welcome to where creativity has no rules and your imagination takes center stage! In this course, students will explore how to mix materials like paint, clay, fabric, and various art tools to create exciting and colorful works of art. Students will experiment with layering textures, combining unexpected materials, and try out new techniques. From vibrant collages and textured paintings to 3D sculptures each project will let young artists express their unique artistic style in fun and unexpected ways. Get ready to experiment, create, and discover the endless possibilities of mixed media!

Grade 3-5: This course offers students the opportunity to be both creator and performer! Students will explore a variety of 2-D and 3-D processes as they create books, objects, puppets and masks that can be incorporated into an original narrative. In addition to generating ideas and creating characters, students learn how images and props can be used to tell a story. Emphasis is on creating a unique and expressive language of object, gesture, and story, with equal attention given to the artistic/visual qualities of the art objects themselves and the purposeful use of these objects in student-designed performances.

Grades 6-8: In this course, students will explore the art of color blending and value to create depth and dimension in their artwork. They’ll learn to use warm and cool colors to influence mood and contrast, and experiment with different color schemes to bring their ideas to life. Assignments include creating a “Color Mood Board” where students develop palettes that reflect different emotions, painting a “Cool vs. Warm” landscape to compare temperature effects, and designing a “Gradient Portrait” that uses color blending techniques to highlight shading and light. Through these activities, students will gain a deeper understanding of color theory and its expressive power.

Grades 3-5: Students will unlock their imaginations through clay, drawing, painting, and papier mâché as they explore visual expression and material exploration while telling magical stories. They will design papier mâché dragon eggs that hatch delightful surprises, craft ancient treasure maps to learn the foundations of cartography, create illustrated field journals to document discoveries, and sculpt and glaze clay ‘magic lamps.’

Grades 6-8 Beginning with an understanding of compositional principles and the basic camera functions, features, and possibilities, students learn to create digital photographs. From a variety of prompts intended to tap into students' interpretation and experience of the visual world around them, students collect imagery in their daily lives, at home, and outdoors. As the course progresses, the class explores the Adobe Photoshop program as a tool to refine images and explore options for manipulating imagery for expressive purposes. Note: Students must have their own digital camera (cell phone or DSLR). Access to the Adobe Creative Suite is included for the duration of this course.