Departments

Visual Arts - Art & Film Studies

"The first demand any work of art makes upon us is surrender. Look. Listen. Receive. Get yourself out of the way. (There is no good asking first whether the work before you deserves surrender, for until you have surrendered you cannot possibly find out.)" -- C.S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism

A discussion of the arts focuses on how people understand creation and communicate their per¬ceptions, responses, and understanding of the world to themselves and to others. Since their first appearance thousands of years ago, the arts have been evolving continually, exhibiting the ability of human beings to intuit, symbolize, think, and express themselves through dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts. Each of the arts contains a distinct body of knowledge and skills that characterize the power of each to expand the perceptual, intellectual, cul¬tural, and spiritual dimensions of human experience.

Different from writing or speaking, art is a unique way of communicating experience, and proper training in art develops a healthy lifelong aesthetic. Art is important at PCH because it helps develop the ‘whole child’ (body, mind, soul, and spirit) and we believe that no other man-made activity comes so close to mirroring the creative nature of God. At the same time art helps us understand the beauty of creation and of the Creator.


Goals & Objectives
It is the mission of the PCH Visual & Performing Arts Department to introduce students to the history and craft of art, dance, film, music, and theatre so that they might develop an appreciation of the arts, nurture and express their God given talent, make connections with other disciplines, and become thoughtful, confident and responsible adults.

Students will be encouraged to take risks, listen, serve, and ultimately learn more about the creativity and nature of God as it is expressed in creation. At PCH students will be required to take two years of visual & performing arts. One year required in the visual arts and one year in the performing arts. In addition, students will be given opportunities to explore the VPA more deeply by majoring in a discipline through the schools Academy. The Academy will give students a chance to take courses after school and apply what they have learned on stage through the production process.

In addition, to VPA course work it the goal of the department to give students numerous opportunities to apply what they have learned through the production process. These range from art galleries, film festivals, concerts, to dance and theatre productions. At the end of each year the department will produce Java Drama a production that will celebrate all the arts. The production combines art, theatre, dance, film, and music and allows students to make connections across disciplines.

Different from writing or speaking, the Visual & Performing arts is a unique way of communicating experience, and the proper training in arts develops a healthy lifelong aesthetic. The arts are important at PCH because they help develop the ‘whole student’ (body, mind, soul, and spirit). In such a backdrop, the objectives of the PCH visual and performing arts department are to:

  • Develop in students the language of aesthetics -- including various art forms and their individual, historical, and cultural context.
  • Develop in students the skills necessary to comprehend and respond to art, design forms, the visual environment, and to the relationship between form and content.
  • Heighten student’s personal perception and awareness of the world and their reactions and responses to it.
  • Teach skills necessary to use and manipulate materials while encouraging experimentation.
  • Build a tradition of craftsmanship in all the artistic disciplines.
  • Encourage students to observe, analyze, think, make decisions, and solve problems in the exploration of personal expression.
  • Develop a corporate dimension to the arts in a predominantly individualistic fine art culture.
  • Develop opportunities for the PCH student to develop a breadth of learning across artistic disciplines.
  • Develop opportunities for the PCH student to develop a depth of learning in a specific discipline.
  • Develop an array of opportunities for the PCH student to apply concepts learned to production experiences.

Visual Art

Drawing & Painting – Grades 9-12 (Year Course)
This course is designed to help further students’ sense of design and technique, as well as to help students realize how two-dimensional arts play a role in society and in emotional and spiritual expression. They will study and respond to the work of other artists to learn about visual expression and how to appreciate other artwork. The students will enhance their drawing and painting skills through various projects, including different mediums and styles. They will learn to study scenes and objects in order to obtain a basic grasp of line, shape, space, value, form, mass, thrust, and movement. Students will have opportunities to create works of art using many different mediums and tools such as pencil, ink, charcoal, pastel, acrylics, oils, and printmaking.

Advanced Drawing & Painting - Grades 10-12 (Year Course)
Prerequisite: Beginning Drawing and Painting
An advanced course on the fundamentals of drawing, painting, art history, realism, abstraction, aesthetics, and creativity through a variety of experiences which include projects, sketchbooks, portfolio, critiques, written and oral reports, museum visits, and art videos. The course is structured for the serious art student. Emphasis will be placed on developing a portfolio, which will carry over into exhibitions, presentations, and commercial art. Advanced art will encourage a greater understanding of careers and opportunities in the field of art.

Film Studies

Digital Video Production I - Grades 9-12 (One Semester)
This course is designed to expose students to the elements of production. Students will learn elements of pre-production, production, and post-production. Concepts of screenwriting, story boards, shooting scripts, scheduling, budgeting, production design, cinematography, editing, and sound design will be covered. Students will work in production teams to produce a three-minute silent film. This class satisfies the prerequisite for Film Production II.

Digital Video Production II - Grades 9-12 (One Semester)
This course is designed to continue the exposure of students to the elements of production. Students will learn elements of pre-production, production, and post-production. Concepts of screenwriting, story boards, shooting scripts, scheduling, budgeting, production design, cinematography, editing, and sound design will be covered. Students will pick up on concepts learned in Film Production I and refine their skills through the production of two student films.

Film History 1950-1990 - Grades 9-12 (One Semester)
The course is designed to give students an overview of American Cinema from 1950-1990. Students will learn about film during the postwar era as well as the work of the new crop of “film school directors”. Students will write formal essays on each film.

Film History 1900-1950 - Grades 9-12 (One Semester)
The course is designed to give students an overview of American Cinema from 1900-1950. Students will learn about the Silent Era and the Golden Age of Hollywood. In addition, students will watch classic films from the time and analyze them in formal essays. 

16mm Filmmaking I – Grades 11-12 (One Semester)
This course examines all aspects of making a film at an advanced level by having the students make a 16mm movie. Students will be assigned jobs including director, writer, producer, assistant director, director of photography, gaffer, assistant camera, production sound, grip, editor, post-production sound, production design, location scout, and casting director. Subjects covered are casting, production management, production design, advanced lighting, 16mm camera systems, production sound, film processing, and non-linear editing. Day long trips to Fotokem, Panavision, Mole Richardson, Kodak, and various rental houses will be included leading up to production. The final cut of the film will have a premiere screening and will be sent out to film festivals.