Student Projects

Academy students generate a vast array of projects. Here are a few examples of work produced by students.

Art Programming

Students at The Academy may choose from a number of art courses including Visual Arts, Fashion, Dance and Drama.

Egyptian art-inspired artefacts

Ancient Egypt:  Artefacts from the Pharaohs

Media:              wire, paper maché, paint and found objects

Size:                 ranging from small jewellery pieces to 50cm x 40cm pharaoh masks

Inspired by a trip to the King Tut exhibition at the AGO, students embarked on a unit about ancient civilizations and the art and culture of ancient Egypt.  Students chose a variety of artifacts to study and reproduce, including Pharaoh masks, jewellery, animal statues and obelisks.  Through this assignment, students were introduced to symbolism in art, ancient art tools and practices and mixed media.

Mixed media collages

Collage:  Mixed Media, Mixed Messages

Media:              magazines, newsprint, paint and glaze on plywood

Size:                 square and rectangle ranging from 60cm x 50cm, 100cm x 40cm and 110cm x 110cm

Students participated in a collage workshop with Toronto artist Kathryn MacKay.  They collected scraps and images from magazines and newspapers over a 3-month span and created mixed media collages on found pieces of plywood through techniques of layering, scraping, sanding and turning the canvas during the process.  Through this assignment, students were introduced to a variety of techniques and media as well as the artistic practice of a local artist.

Clay vessels

From the Melting Pot into the Fire:  Contemporary Ceramics in Israel

Media:              Clay and glaze

Size:                 10cm x 10cm x 10cm (approx)

Students took part in a pottery workshop at the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art and created vessels based on their interpretation of the exhibit of contemporary ceramics in Israel.  Students were introduced to clay forming, tools for cutting and sculpting, the firing process, glazing techniques and relief work.  Through this assignment, students were introduced to three-dimensional form, cultural influences on art and incorporating personal interest and experiences into making artworks.

Pop art self portraits

Groovey:  Pop Art Portraits and Colour Theory

Media:              Digital camera, Photoshop, projector, pencil, acrylic paint and canvas board

Size:                 46cm x 60cm

Students studied colour theory and how colour was used to create pop art in the 1960’s.  In the spirit of Andy Warhol, students took portraits of themselves, created high contrast black and white editions, traced the portraits 4 times onto the canvas board from a projected image and painted each section with acrylics.  Through this assignment, students were introduced to colour theory, the Pop Art movement, blending old and new technologies and self-expression.

Two-toned tessellations on paper

Tessellate!  A Nod to Escher and the Elements of Shape and Space

Media:              two colours of Bristol board

Size:                 40cm x 40 cm

After studying the intricate designs of M.C. Escher, students created large-scale basic tessellation studies using two contrasting colours of Bristol board paper.  They designed a shape from one colour, traced and cut a series of it and lay it in pattern on the sheet of the second colour.  Through this assignment, students were introduced to colour, geometric and freeform shapes, pattern and positive / negative space.

Pencil sketches

The Lay of the Land:  Landscape using Line and Shading

Media:              pencil, charcoal and pencil crayon on paper

Size:                 42cm x 32 cm (framed)

Students interpreted a photo or a painting of a landscape to sketch their own version with a mixture of pencil, charcoal and/or pencil crayon on paper.  Students were to use the element of line to create their landscapes and use a variety of shading techniques. Through this assignment, students were introduced to perspective, cross-hatching, texture and the atmosphere or mood of a place.

Sketches “Springtime in China” By: Jamee Anderson & “untitled ” By: Jamie Tice