Visual Arts
Visual Arts at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory fosters student understanding and appreciation of art through explorations in a variety of mediums including drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, collage and mixed media. Students develop their creative voice through assignments in both traditional and contemporary art in preparation of the public display of their artwork in the spring Art Show. Advanced Placement offerings include Art History, Studio Art for Drawing & Painting and Studio Art for Photography. The AP Art History and AP Studio Art for Photography blended format allows students to take advantage of a class outside of the normal rotation and/or in a blended format.
Studio Art
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From Arts 1,2 to AP Studio Art: 2-D Design, our Studio Arts Program provides intensive and independent study in drawing, painting and 2D/3D mediums. Individual style, technical skill and a strong conceptual approach are emphasized in preparation for top-ranked college Arts programs. Students can also join Art In Action, an afterschool arts program to share and explore in visual arts. Extracurricular explorations in Abstract Expressionism, pet portraiture, and City Drawing offers our students a breadth of experiences to assist their development in Art. Students in our program continue on to various interdisciplinary arts programs in prestigious schools, such as Cal Arts, Parsons, New School, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Savannah College of Art and Design and Rhode Island School of Design.
Design
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Design 1,2 is a dynamic, hands-on studio course in which students explore various design disciplines, learning fundamental principles and techniques applicable across fields like graphic design, fashion, product design, and spatial design. Through a series of engaging projects, students will learn to translate ideas into tangible forms, understanding how formal elements (like line, shape, color, texture) and conceptual thinking (the underlying message or purpose) work together to create effective designs.
Brian McHugh has spent his professional life pursuing Visual Arts as an artist, illustrator, technical director, and scenic designer. Since 2001, Mr. McHugh has dedicated himself to arts education, instructing students from elementary to advanced placement levels. He joined the faculty of Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in 2007, where he founded the school's Maker Lab and currently imparts knowledge and skills in Art 1,2, Design 1,2, Art 3,4, and AP Studio Art. Additionally, he serves as the facilitator for the school's Art In Action Club, a weekly afterschool open studio session where students of all artistic levels gather to learn and experiment with various mediums of art. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute and is an accomplished painter and sculptor.
Digital Photography
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The Digital Photography Program cultivates visual storytelling, creativity, and technical skills through the camera lens. The introductory course establishes essential foundations of camera operation and fundamentals of art and design. Students develop their skills through photo walks and thematic still-life compositions. Students learn post-processing skills using Adobe Lightroom, which equips them with prowess in basic editing, color grading and masking. The Advanced Placement course offers a unique opportunity for exploration, allowing students to delve into a year-long portfolio. With a self-directed focus, students immerse themselves in meaningful explorations while becoming proficient in post-processing techniques and the ability to analyze and interpret artworks.
Ms. Hannah Donkin is an Instructor of Visual Arts at SHCP specializing in digital photography and design. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from San Francisco State University. Hannah is dedicated to inspiring the artistic talents of her students through multiple creative projects and mediums that reflect her experience as a multifaceted artist. Outside the classroom, she passionately pursues her hobbies of photography and ceramics, further fueling her creative spirit and contributing to her well-rounded artistic identity.
Art History
The AP Art History course utilizes a unique online format to introduce students to the art world on a global scale. Students engage with art forms and content as they discuss, read and write about art, artists and art-making. The course content consists of 250 works of art, characterized by diverse artistic traditions from prehistory to the present. The students develop an in-depth, holistic understanding of the history of art from a global perspective. The course can be accomplished at the student’s own pace and they are able to do the work at a time of their choice. There are group lectures, field trips, and opportunities for travel. AP Art History is the equivalent of a two-semester introductory college or university art history survey course.
