Drawing a Blank? Meet Advanced Creative Topics, Your Future Art Course

Ceramics, photography, film, painting, digital art, dance, drama — almost any type of art you can think of, Sacred Heart has to offer. It’s a huge part of campus life, as seen in our art shows, drama productions, Holiday Treats, and even aspects of our traditional Spirit Weeks. None of it would be possible without the arts department and the enthusiasm and passion of the students that fuel it. To graduate, only one and a half years of art are required, but a variety of students wish to pursue it over many years and beyond high school. However, for students who have mastered their respective art classes earlier and have already taken their AP art class during their junior year, there is no higher level offered the next year. As seniors, they may be left not knowing what to do or where to go next besides simply retaking the same advanced class, which wouldn’t necessarily teach them anything new or build their skills. There’s just not anything else available for them in that one specific branch of content.
If this is the dilemma you see yourself facing in the future, Advanced Creative Topics may be the class for you, and something to keep an eye on in the coming years when it’s time to fill out future course requests. This new course, taught by Fine Arts Co-Department Head and Photographer Teacher Vanessa Woods in the fall, aims to solve this exact issue while also giving artists the chance to explore their thoughts through extensive student-led projects which will be displayed at the end of the year.
“At this point, you know you love the medium that you’re dedicated to,” says Woods. “You just need the right time and space to actually develop and execute your ideas, which you’ll achieve through working on your in-depth personal projects during the entire semester.” To reestablish its criteria and purpose, this is an option for any students that have completed at least one semester of an advanced level art course of their respective discipline, and those with great dedication and goals to focus on their creations in a more serious light. It will be co-offered in fine arts, granting you either a fine arts or an independent creative inquiry credit. Additionally, there’s no need to worry about changing your interest — this class is for any and every type of art form, and the projects can be interrupted in a variety of ways, whether a student chooses to concentrate on visuals or something performative. The course will not only “broaden your scope and perspective” but also let students learn more about art from your own peers, and to provide previous inside knowledge. It is designed to be anything but limiting. Although the course has been taught before by SHP Visual Arts Teacher Susannah Emerson with similar activities and guidelines, this will be a fuller class, with different techniques and methods of learning — less one-on-one, student-teacher based, and more widely centered around building community. Woods will still be present lecturing and guiding, but mostly encouraging students to bounce ideas back and forth with other classmates, sharing their interests and inspiring one another. There will be check-ins and pacing on how the independent studies are progressing about every three weeks, accompanied with collaborative student critiques and quick seminar-style discussions. Be prepared to potentially take immersive trips to nearby museums and hear from local Bay Area-based artists and guest speakers.
The Advanced Creative Topics course especially allows students to exercise their freedom of artistic expression and showcase their individual talents. Yet, this course still depends on you and the rest of the student body. As this is supposed to be a regular, full class, it needs to be populated by interested people who also fit the standards. Currently, course requests are clearly way behind us, but if this seems to be the most appealing option for you, keep it in mind for next year. Stay engaged, ask questions, and reach out to Vanessa Woods or Susannah Emerson about past experiences. If you’re eager to create something new and the course is available, take that chance and indicate it as your desired arts course for next year. You won’t regret it.