Art & Design

DeSales High School believes that students who are afforded opportunities, resources and support in the Visual Arts will develop skills, self-confidence and a greater acceptance of this subject area in their everyday lives.  Building upon this foundation, the Art and Design courses at DeSales are intended to foster new skill sets as well as develop and enhance existing strengths and abilities.

The curriculum design encompasses a variety of delivery methods to assist in reaching the many learning styles students possess. It aims to deliver, implement and develop a strong structure for solid fundamental academic content, critical thinking, problem-solving, active learning, self-assessment and exciting creative inspiration. Students can renew, grow, experiment, explore, enhance and develop personal responses to a multitude of visual ideas and problems in their creation of high-quality and effective visual statements.

The goals of the Art & Design Department are to:

• Incorporate the State Standards for Visual Art in the effective work of students – students are able to demonstrate and evaluate their work in relation to all six standards.
• Afford provisions for students to be involved in, adapt to, share experiences of and show progress in the development of fundamental skills in visual art – use and apply many specific media and techniques in the production of effective and relevant work.
• Enable learning differentiation - enhancement of both fledgling skills and inherent artistic skills each student brings with them. Challenge all levels.
• Develop, expand, improve and translate into actions (confident production of work) visual literacy, and cultural and social education.
• Combine historical and contemporary aspects of art to enable students to justify and express educated opinions on the effects and relevance of their work and the work of others.