Art as an Expression of Place
Drawing on the landscape that surrounds them, Christchurch students make work that tells a story, shares a point of view, and finds a voice that is theirs alone.
VISUAL ARTS
Work That Tells a Story
Our program empowers students to create expressive, one-of-a-kind work and share it with others. Using everything from pen and ink and graphite to digital tools, students draw inspiration from the picturesque setting around them and make pieces that have never been imagined before. Along the way they build self-expression, presentation, and the confidence to put a point of view into the world.
A Show of Their Own
From Studio to Solo Opening
Advanced Art students work toward something few high schoolers ever do: a solo opening of their own work, presented to the public. Guided but largely independent, each artist develops a cohesive body of work, writes an artist statement, and ties the work to a sense of place. It is a real exhibition, with real visitors, and it is entirely theirs.
Create and Show
A Place for Every Maker
Students begin with the fundamentals and grow into independent artists, and their work does not stay in the studio.
Create
Build the Foundation
In Art I and Art II, students explore many mediums, from drawing and painting to digital media, and learn the language of art making.
Go Deeper
Advanced Art and Ceramics 12 push toward independent, expressive work and mastery of a chosen medium.
Show
On Display
Student work is exhibited across campus and in the surrounding community, not just pinned to a classroom wall.
One Artist Inspires Another
Pieces are often shared with other students as the prompt for a creative writing project, proving one student's art can spark another's.
Courses
Explore the Visual Arts Curriculum
Visual art is part of the Visual and Performing Arts program. Art I is the foundation and a prerequisite for the upper-level courses. You can see the full department, including music and theatre, on the Arts curriculum page.
- Art I
- Art II
- Advanced Art
- Ceramics 12
It's All Connected
Explore the Christchurch Experience
The work students make in the studio draws on the place around them and the wider creative life of campus.
Performing Arts
Theatre, the annual student-written musical, and Shakespeare across languages.
