[SPEAKER_02]: Hello and welcome to the Fine Arts Department. Our department can offer you something at Medford High that no other department can. A chance to express yourself, unique opportunities, and a safe space to learn more about yourself through the creative process. We are a relatively small department, but we have so many different offerings that meet many different needs and interest levels. We have classes that focus on painting and drawing, ceramics, sculpture, design, and so much more. Our classes are suitable for all ranges from beginner to advanced level. Let's start by meeting the staff. My name is Mrs. Fee and I'm the coordinator of the Fine Arts Department. I also teach design and advise the National Art Honor Society. I love my job and I'm passionate about creating a great art experience for all the students here at Medford High. This cool dude is Mr. Smith. He teaches all of our 3D classes, specifically ceramics and sculpture. Mr. Smith also runs the Ceramics Club. Ceramics is one of the most sought-after courses in all of Medford High, and that's not only just because creating ceramics is super fun and rewarding, but also because Mr. Smith has been described as one of the most chill teachers around. This lovely lady is Ms. Van Aken. Ms. Van Aken teaches the bulk of our 2D classes like painting and drawing as well as our advanced placement level courses. Ms. Van Aken is an expert at helping students achieve their artistic potential. She really knows her stuff. If you take a class with Ms. Van Aken, I guarantee your skill level will improve dramatically. She also runs the after school art club which is open to all students. Mr. Cain teaches art and ideas. You'll hear more about that class later. He also advises the new photography club. Mr. Cain's vibes are immaculate. He's a great teacher and just a really cool person to get to know. Any student who has ever had a class with Mr. Cain will tell you he's one of the best teachers here at MHS. Now, you're only here for a few days, and it's nowhere near enough time to get to see and try everything that our department has to offer. That's why we created this video. We wanted you to hear from students and get a glimpse inside all the different art studios in the A building. First up, ceramics.
[Stella]: Hi, I'm Stella, and I'm in Ceramics 2 this year. And in Ceramics 2, we do a lot of different things. We've done bubbling projects where we make the glaze and we stick it onto the clay and it forms bubble shapes. There were a lot of other really interesting projects, like a nature project where we got to represent nature but with clay. And I remember I did a vase with vines weaving in and out. And in ceramics class, we just get to experiment with a lot of different things. Personally, I love to do wheel throwing and there is one wheel project, but there's also just a lot of time in between projects where you're able to do what you want and do solo projects. And I also really love ceramics club where it's just it goes until four and we can just make whatever we want. So, yeah, I've just found a really comfortable place in the school with ceramics club and the ceramics class in general. Yeah, I love it.
[SPEAKER_02]: Ceramics is a class that everyone seems to enjoy, even those students who wouldn't describe themselves as artists. There's something really magical about building something from a pile of clay with your bare hands. Stella talked about Ceramics 2, but Ceramics 1 is where you'd start. You'll learn the basics of hand building and glazing. Glazing is the process of adding color to your ceramics pieces. In Ceramics 2 and 3, you'll create more intricate pieces and experiment with the pottery wheel. With practice, ceramic students become familiar with problem solving in both content and materials, developing a critical eye and building skills for creating pieces ranging from functional and expressive vessels to figurative and sculptural objects. Next up is Pedro. He's going to talk about design class.
[Pedro]: I'm from Portugal and I'm here to answer some questions about the design class with Miss Phi. Basically, the vibe here is really good. Besides being a place where you can relax during your stressful day, like everyone has a bad day sometimes, here you can just listen to some music and chill doing your art because everyone has an artist inside of them. But mainly, When we talk about academics, is it a class that really helps you outside of school and in your academic life? Because it works your creativity and other things in your life. It's really important. It can bring things from your life to the class. Just join it.
[SPEAKER_02]: In design class, we create a lot of projects using traditional media and then manipulating those works on the computer. One example is our unit on travel posters. Students created original drawings or paintings and then uploaded them into the computer program Canva to add text or manipulate the paintings. One of the best things about design class is this mix of traditional and graphic media. It's important to note that we cover a lot of different aspects of design in this class. One fun project was our unit that combined fashion design and advertising. Students created an original shoe design that was a fake collab with any candy or snack they chose. Once the shoe was designed, they went back to the computer to create compelling advertisements for their shoes. Sometimes we work just on the computer. These concert posters are a great example of that kind of work. We talked about space, visual hierarchy, and experimented with photo manipulation for this project. The graphic design skills you will learn using Canva in this class can be applied to so many other aspects of your life. Now let's hear from Riz who will tell us about his experience in drawing and painting.
[Shrestha]: Hi, my name is Riz Shrestha and last year I took drawing and painting with Ms. Van Aken. And I enjoyed the class a lot because even though it's a structured class, there's a lot of freedom on what mediums you can use. So we use like oil pastels, you can use acrylics, basically whatever you'd like in the time limit that you're provided. You have like due dates that you have to complete, but it's generally creatively flowing because you have a prompt, but it's up to you to how you approach that. One thing I can say that's important is throughout the year, you do learn the basics of art. So you'll learn stuff like grayscale, what colors match with other colors. And yeah, that's something that I really enjoyed about the class. And overall, I'd say you should take it.
[SPEAKER_02]: This course is a foundation course for anyone interested in creating art and developing their skills. Even though this course is called Drawing and Painting, you'll explore many traditional materials beyond that, and techniques. You'll be using pencil, pen, acrylic paint, mixed media, watercolor. You'll try linoleum prints and rubbings, and more. You'll investigate themes such as identity, memory, environment, power, and other contemporary issues. you will have a chance to create two-dimensional artworks that will be peer critiqued and exhibited. This is an exciting and interesting course for students who want to develop their skills, learn new art materials, and learn more about art as an expression of their ideas. In the next few days, you'll hear more from Ms. Van Aken about the 2D courses that we offer. But now, it's time to hear from Ruth about sculpture.
[Ruth]: Hi, I'm Ruth. I'm a senior this year. This is my second year taking Mr. Smith's classes. Last year, my junior year, I took sculpture, which I loved. It's very mixed media, which I quickly learned is like my favorite thing of all time. We work with different mediums and different projects each section so you're not always staying with clay you're working with paper mache you're working with paper objects you're making houses you're making people whatever mr smith is there to kind of guide you and let you have your creative expression to do whatever you want um this year i like mr smith so much that i take two ceramics classes a day because His room is just the chillest, most comfortable room in the school. I think it's helped me learn a lot about myself, be relaxed in Medford High, and really enjoy A building, which, you know, she doesn't get a lot of time. She doesn't get a lot of time.
[SPEAKER_02]: Ruth describes sculpture class pretty well. This course is an investigation of creating form in three dimensions, or 3D, with an emphasis on experimentation. The class is designed to challenge students to take artistic risks in a variety of media. It's a great intro class if you're someone who is creative and interested in art, but drawing and painting isn't really your thing. Sculpture might be the perfect place for you to flex those creative muscles in a new way. You will explore a wide range of project and prompts in sculpture class. One popular project is the altered book project. Students reworked existing books into sculptural works of art in a variety of ways. The book can be altered through whatever means and media the artist chooses. Awesome. Now it's time for Kaylee to talk about art and ideas.
[Kaylee]: Hey guys, I'm Kaylee. I'm a senior. I take Art and Ideas with Mr. Cain and it is a super fun class. It mixes studio art, art history, and creative psychology. And Mr. Cain is an amazing teacher and he gets you all the materials you want. There's so much freedom to explore any kind of art that you want to.
[SPEAKER_02]: In Art and Ideas, you'll explore creative psychology, discover how humans come up with new ideas, uncover some of the greatest and funniest artworks from history, and build your own creations. You'll combine graffiti and prehistoric cave painting. You'll dive into photography, engineering, invention, and conceptual art. Each unit includes creative thinking games based on psychological research. building a reservoir of knowledge about artworks from history, critically examining a movie, documentary, animated, or feature, and making your own independent artworks. Along the way you'll have fun learning how to see, draw, paint, take pictures, and discover how to think about the world like artists. Let's hear from Dakota about our AP courses next.
[Dakota]: Hi, my name is Dakota, and I took AP Drawing this year. So AP Drawing is an advanced drawing course. It counts for college credit, which means you have to be approved for the class. But when you are, it can be a really great experience for you because it's a higher level class. Basically, you pick the like a kind of question that you want to explore and then through your artwork you um explore answers to that question and it's really it's really up to you how you approach it with your mediums with um your style it's really whatever you want and then at the end you submit a portfolio to the college board which is uh graded on a i think five point scale and you also get to have your work displayed at the end, and yeah, it's a great experience if you're really into art.
[SPEAKER_02]: The Advanced Placement Studio Art Program, designed by the College Board, is the highest, most rigorous high school art course. With a successful score in the AP Portfolio Exam, students can receive college credits while still in high school. The AP program supports students in becoming inventive, artistic scholars. Taking AP Art is a chance to grow and refine your skills. You don't have to be a college-level artist to take an AP course, but you will for sure grow over the course of the year and become a better artist through taking the class. You will learn some important skills if you participate in an AP art course here at Medford High. You'll investigate the materials, processes, and ideas that artists and designers use. You'll practice, experiment, and revise as you create your own work. And you'll develop your communication skills by communicating your ideas about works of art and design. You'll create a portfolio of college-level work and submit it for evaluation. A qualifying portfolio score can earn you college credit. Aside from the financial benefits of saving money on college tuition, ARD students may be able to skip introductory courses in college and move directly to upper level classes. In addition to all the courses we just described, we have a new photography course that we're offering for the first time this year. Ask around to see what your friends think of this new course. And again, for those non-drawers out there, photography is another great way to express your creativity and share your unique perspective. You know, using a camera to find beauty in the things and people around us help us to see things in a different light. A wonderful therapeutic benefit of photography is that it can help us see the beauty surrounding us. You just gotta take a moment to stop and look. Well, that's about it. We hope you saw something that you connected with in this little virtual tour. Remember, you don't have to be the best painter or sketch perfect illustrations to find a home here in the Fine Arts Department. This is a great place to be if you have a creative spark, but you aren't sure how to bring that creative flow to life. Exploring our courses and hanging out with us here in the Fine Arts department is a great way to learn more about yourself. Art can help you figure out who you are and what's important to you. We hope you enjoy the Fine Arts rotation and that we will see you again when it's time to choose electives. If you have any questions or you want to know more about anything that was covered in this video, please don't hesitate to ask Ms. Van Aken while you're here with us for a few days or email me, Mrs. Fee, at any time. Thanks again!