The PCCA Visual Arts Program is an accelerated, in-depth program intended to meet the individual needs of students who are artistically talented and motivated. The Visual Arts Program is intended to prepare students aesthetically, academically, and technically for further studies in the arts or to imbue an appreciation of the arts in those who choose other careers. In addition, students will be exposed to multiple professional medias and practices, including:

• Digital Design

• Photography

• Printmaking

• Ceramics

• Sculpture

• Museum Studies

The Core - Year 1 & Year 2

To prepare students to move forward in their chosen discipline, students spend their first year building up their making and critical thinking skills in Foundation studio.

Advance Placement - Year 3 & Year 4

The AP Art and Design course framework is composed of course skills, big ideas, essential questions and enduring understandings, learning objectives, and essential knowledge. AP Art and Design skill categories delineate overarching understandings central to the study and practice of art and design. Each of the three skill categories consists of skills that encompass foundational to advanced learning over the span of the course. Students need to develop, practice, and apply these skills in a variety of contexts.

• Big Idea 1: Investigate materials, processes, and ideas.

• Big Idea 2: Make art and design.

• Big Idea 3: Present art and design.

The AP Art and Design framework included in the course and exam description outlines distinct skills that students should practice throughout the year—skills that will help them learn to develop inquiry around the thinking and making of art.

• Skill 1: Inquiry and Investigation - Investigate materials, processes, and ideas.

• Skill 2: Making Through Practice, Experimentation, and Revision - Make works of art and design by practicing, experimenting, and revising.

• Skill 3: Communication and Reflection - Communicate ideas about art and design.