NMH Arts : Visual Arts

The school’s commitment to the visual arts is long lived, with the first faculty member arriving to teach the inaugural program in 1946. Since then, the teaching faculty has grown to a program of three full-time and one part-time members. 

All of our courses are taught by faculty members, who, as practicing artists in their own right, bring this insight to their studio classes. All instruction that occurs during a school day in any given medium is supplemented by optional open studio hours during the evening. It is during this time that many of our students begin to see the artistic process as an individual exploration of ideas and themes that were collectively presented in a studio class environment. Student work is displayed in a number of School venues during the year.

The school also has a very successful Advanced Placement program that includes Advanced Placement Drawing & Advanced Placement Design courses. Each year students taking the class qualify for college credit or enrollment in advanced courses with the college program. 

Our students interested in pursuing the arts in college regularly matriculate to such institutions as Parsons School of Design, the Tisch School at New York University, and Rhode Island School of Design, as well as other four-year institutions. This past year one of our graduates received the award for the most outstanding entering freshman at the Rhode Island School of Design.

As you can see, our program is thorough and very successful in presenting the visual arts to the NMH community.

Major Classes
(for full descriptions, see Curriculum Guide)

AP Drawing (one credit)
AP Two-Dimensional Design (one credit)
Ceramics I, II (one-half credit)
Color Photography (one-half credit)
Digital Photography (one-half credit)
Drawing and Composition I, II, III (one-half credit) 
Design Theory and Practice (one-half credit)
Arts Foundations (one-half credit) Required for entering ninth graders, encompasses visual and performing arts.
Intensive Studio in the Two Dimensional Arts (one credit)
Painting I, II, III (one-half credit)
Photography I, II, III (one-half credit)
Printmaking I, II (one-half credit)
Video as Visual Art ( one-half credit)

Sample Minor Courses

Pastel Drawing
Landscape Drawing
Beginning with Clay
Beginning Drawing
Printmaking

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