Norwood High School Visual Arts Department

The Norwood High School Art program embodies the components of high quality art education: production, art history, criticism and aesthetics. All of these components are integrated into all of the Visual Arts courses. Corporations from across the globe are looking for students with an Arts background, because they want creative, flexible thinkers. 1.25 million Americans work in the Arts. In the Visual Arts, students must integrate their critical and creative thinking skills to solve complex visual problems. Our art courses offer both intensive as well as explorative educational opportunities for students. Students may study intensive drawing and painting, sculpture and computer graphics over the course of study at the high school. Or students may chose to study a variety of introductory course or courses, or Art and Media, or a minor course in Introduction to Art, Graphic Design, Introduction to Computer Graphics or Cartooning/Animation. Our classes support students who are actively pursuing a career in the Visual Arts as well as students who enjoy art making and its processes. The Visual Arts are a form of language with this end in mind, we seek to provide our students with the tools and techniques that they need to communicate using art. All of our courses follow both the Massachusetts State Curriculum Frameworks as well as the National Art Education Standards.

Portfolios

For student applying to colleges, portfolio preparation is an important step in the application process.
For students pursuing a liberal arts or science degree, a portfolio can help to strengthen the student’s application.
Portfolios are required for students applying to art school. Usually a portfolio contains 15-20 examples of their best work from the past two years. It is important to keep all of a student’s artwork! The work should demonstrate the breadth and depth of their art endeavors and most school require some observational drawing.
The portfolio highlights the student’s ideas and conceptual abilities as well as their technical skill.
For students who want to submit a portfolio, they should start the conversation with their art teacher during first month of school of seniors or juniors. At least one month or earlier before the first application deadline, a student should schedule an appointment with his or her art teacher to look through all of the student’s artwork to determine what pieces will be photographed for the portfolio. For this meeting, students should know how many pieces that college would like to see and what format they want the portfolio (CD, slides, photographs). After this meeting, the student will schedule a time to photography the portfolio. If slides are necessary, then the student must provide slide film. After taking the photographs, the student must put the photographs in the appropriate format and create an inventory list with the size, media and title of each piece. The student will then be ready to submit their portfolio.

National Art Honor Society

The National Art Honor Society is sponsored by the National Art Educators Association. The Norwood Senior High School chapter was established in 1982 and was the 143rd chapter formed nationwide. Selection into this group signifies that a student, through effort, attitude, and sense of dedication in the field of art, has consistently demonstrated the highest qualities in art scholarship, service, and character. To be academically eligible, a student must be enrolled in an art course for a period equivalent to one semester in this school. Candidates eligible must be a Senior High School student (sophomore, junior, or senior) and shall have maintained an 85% in their art course and a minimum cumulative average of 80% in their other subjects. In addition, all conduct and effort grades must be 1 or 2. To remain a member, the student must maintain an 80% average in all art classes.

What Parents Can Do:

Give your student a place where they can work!
Be interested in what they are working on.
Display their work somewhere prominently in your home
Remind them that art like sports takes practice, practice, practice!
Support their interest by enrolling them to art classes local colleges and universities (there are scholarships available!)
Join your teenage on trips to local museums, galleries, and art supply stores.
Make sure that they are doing their homework.

For Students:

Don’t be discouraged-remember learning new skills takes time and practice
Practice drawing in your sketchbook as often as possible
Ask for help during class, before class or after class
Stay for after-school art make up
Keep a visual journal with ideas and reflections
Keep all of your artwork no matter what you feel about it
Analyze everything that you see

Supplies

Where to Purchase Art Supplies

Places in Norwood to purchase the basics

Staples – basic art supplies, sketchbooks, pencil cases, pencils, pens, etc
Ocean State Job Lot – sketchbooks, brushes, portfolios, etc.
CVS, Brooks, Walgreens – if desperate, they may have sketchbooks, pencils cases

Places near Norwood with a better selection

A.C. Moore Art and Craft – Sketchbooks, pencils, brushes, paints, etc. Lots of crafts and basic art supplies. Dedham Mall.
Michael’s Craft Stores – Sketchbooks, pencils, brushes, paints, etc. Lots of crafts and basic art supplies. Avon, Braintree, Mansfield, Natick.
The Art Experience – Sketckbooks, pencils, brushes, paints, etc. Art supply without having to go into Boston or Cambridge. Avon, MA. Artexperienceusa.com

Places in Boston or Cambridge

Blick Art Materials – Everything you could need and more. Landmark Center, Fenway. Offers 10% discounts to students with student ID. www.dickblick.com
Pearl Art and Craft – Everything that you could need and more. Mass. Ave. Center Square, Cambridge. I think offer a student discount of 10%. www.pearlpaint.com
Utrecht Art Supplies – Everything that you could need and more. Location on Mass Ave in Cambridge and Boston. Probably also offers student discount. www.utrechtart.com
If you google Art Supplies Stores, Boston, MA you will find even more stores!