Visual Arts

AVI4M offers students the opportunity to refine their artistic skills, explore diverse media, and deepen their understanding of visual culture.

• Through studio practice
• Art history
• Critical analysis
• Students express personal
• Political
• Cultural ideas in a variety of visual formats.

The course prepares students for postsecondary programs in fine arts, design, architecture, and related creative fields.

Unit 1: Studio Exploration and Artistic Development
Students engage in structured studio projects that build technical skills and conceptual thinking.
Lessons include:

• Drawing, Painting, and Mixed Media Techniques
• Printmaking and Sculpture Foundations
• Composition, Form, and Design Principles
• Personal Style Development
• Sketchbook Practice and Artistic Inquiry

Unit 2: Art History, Criticism, and Global Perspectives
This unit connects students' work to broader historical and cultural contexts.
Lessons include:

• Art Movements: Renaissance to Contemporary
• Canadian Art and Indigenous Perspectives
• Analyzing Art Through Historical and Cultural Lenses
• Writing Critiques and Interpreting Meaning
• Visual Culture and Media Influence

Unit 3: The Artist in Society
Students explore the role of artists in the modern world and plan for creative futures
Lessons include:

• Art as Social Commentary and Activism
• Art and Identity: Race, Gender, and Community
• Careers in Visual Arts and the Creative Sector
• Preparing a Professional Art Portfolio
• Final Studio Project Planning

• 70% of the final grade is based on coursework, including:
  • Studio projects across various media
  • Artist statements and reflection journals
  • Historical and contemporary art research
  • Peer and self-critiques
  • Participation in class discussions and critiques
• 30% of the final grade is based on final evaluations:
  • 15% Final visual arts portfolio or exhibition
  • 15% Culminating artist reflection or critical response

All assessments follow Ontario curriculum standards and are designed to cultivate creativity, technical proficiency, and cultural understanding, while encouraging personal voice and professional readiness.