Visual Arts Program

Choate's visual arts program places emphasis on the process of the creation of art. This approach gives students ample room to grow and explore their passion for visual communication. Some highlights from the program include:

    View Visual Arts Photo Gallery

• At the foundation level students choose from traditional hands-on materials or computer-based approach to our Introduction to Visual Studies.  
• Black and white photography, digital photography and digital video classes are available at introductory and advanced levels. 
• Each trimester, upper level studio and AP Art History classes take field trips to major New York City museums.
• Our Honors Life drawing class provides students the unique opportunity to draw from a model and enhance their college portfolios.

The works of professional artists as well as student works are regularly on display at the Paul Mellon Art Center Gallery, fostering continuing dialogue between students and exhibiting artists. With drawing, painting and fiber studios and fully equipped ceramics and jewelry-making studios, students have a wide variety of visual arts disciplines to explore.

Digital Video

A strong component of the visual arts program is the digital video course sequence.  Digital video teaches students techniques for capturing and editing moving images and sound. The ability to effectively communicate using images is a vital skill in contemporary media.

The clip below is an example of a student-created piece from our Digital Video program.

Digital video covers the use of digital video cameras, computers, lighting, and related equipment. Classes take students through the pre-production, production and post-production process:

• In pre-production, students plan, script and storyboard their ideas.
• Students learn to use a digital video camera to collect images that communicate a story.
• Camera technique and controls, balanced with good composition, are combined with sound capture and reproduction.
• During post-production, students become comfortable with basic computer editing operations. The rough video footage is captured and edited using non-linear editing software.

Student projects begin by isolating elements of production and design, then progressing to short, group video projects, and finally to producing longer narrative films.

Our Arts Concentration Program provides students with individually tailored schedules – arts classes most terms along with courses selected from Choate’s comprehensive curriculum. View more on the Arts Concentration Program.

View courses in the Arts Curriculum.