Our Program (Grades 9-12)
Current HCA Grade 9 students fill out this form if you are interested in the Artist Academy program.
Current HCA Grade 10-12 students fill out this form if you are interested in the Artist Academy program.
HCA is thrilled to announce the HCA Artist Academy, beginning in the Fall of 2020! This school-within-a-school allows students at the high school level, who are considering a career in visual arts or are just excited about art and creativity, to emphasize and prioritize coursework in visual arts and graduate with a special Artist Academy distinction from HCA. Students will follow a comprehensive, advanced-level art curriculum track exclusively for Artist Academy students along with their state-mandated graduation requirements, and will be given completely individualized mentoring and development. They will have additional exciting opportunities as they progress along in the program, which could include local internships, training from industry professionals across disciplines, summer workshops and more. This will also be a community-within-a-community, where the students can grow in relationship with others who share their interests, and encourage and challenge one another in their creative abilities. The Artist Academy will be directed by Mr. Rob Stotz, and will utilize our cutting-edge ArtLab and his extensive background in traditional illustration to provide students with a well-rounded skill set, whether it be for personal enjoyment or for use in a future career. Click the link for more info, and contact Mr. Stotz at [email protected] with any questions. We are excited to offer this stellar new program to our HCA family!
Our Facility
As a part of our emphasis on excellence in our visual arts program, the Artist Academy is based in our technologically advanced ArtLab. Thanks to a generous donor, our state-of-the-art lab contains technology that is rarely accessible to students even at the college level. Many of the Artist Academy courses will incorporate use of this technology, which is considered top tier in the professional realm. Utilizing the Adobe Creative Suite software on iMac workstations and Cintiq digital tablets, students will learn to integrate traditional artistic disciplines with cutting edge technology, resulting in a greater understanding of concepts and their applications in both artistic and non-artistic careers. Artist Academy students will be adept at this technology by the completion of the program.
Topics of Study
Each year will include all topics listed during a single class period through both semesters. Detailed descriptions to come.
Year 1:
- Introduction to Drawing
- Digital Illustration – Essentials
- Figure Drawing – Gesture
Year 2:
- Character Design
- Storytelling Art
- Animal and Portrait Drawing
Year 3:
- Digital Illustration – Composition
- Environmental Design
- Figure Drawing – Structure
Year 4:
- Portfolio Building
- Creative Community Exploration
- Senior Showcase
All Years:
- All-school art electives are also open to Artist Academy students in addition to courses listed above