Each year at Delbarton current sophomores all take a term of art class. Throughout the sophomore art classes, students are presented with various mediums of art. Most sophomores experience these mediums for the first time. These mediums are often common forms of art, such as oil pastel and pencil drawing. Some students excel in their art class more than others, and these students are often encouraged to take their art to the next level. Roughly twenty to thirty sophomores are encouraged to sign up for Junior Studio Art the next year to continue to enhance and discover their artistic abilities. 

The students who are accepted into Junior Studio Art have their art abilities pushed further. They are expected to continue to experiment with different mediums. Instead of just a term class, students who take Junior Studio Art take the course for the whole school year. This way, they have more time to try different mediums and techniques in hopes of them finding a certain one that they want to pursue. So far, Junior Studio Art students have experimented with oil pastels, acrylic painting, charcoal, etching, scratchboard, and mixed media. An aspect very important to the Junior Art class is photography. All good art projects are started with an excellent photo. Because of this, students are given photography lessons and assignments all throughout the course. Some aspects that students become accustomed to when taking photographs are perspective, shadows, landscape, and framing. By learning how to take excellent photographs, artists are then able to transform their photographs into amazing pieces of art.

The main goal for students in Junior Studio Art is to find a medium that they want to pursue their senior year in AP Studio Art. Senior Anthony Loia discovered his love for etching woodlands. When he reached AP Studio Art senior year, he decided to continue his woodland etchings and has created fantastic representations of his own photographs. Each senior in AP Studio Art has their own unique style. Often, it is easier to create works of art when you are doing it based on a topic or field that you enjoy or find interesting. 

Students in AP Studio Art are required to submit a portfolio of work, consisting of 15 quality artworks. These 15 projects are to be worked on throughout the entire year. After their submission, the College Board will score their portfolio 1 to 5, where a 5 is the best score possible and a 1 is the lowest. Although a ton of work is required to create a quality portfolio, Delbarton Students will often get a head start on their portfolios by taking all of their photographs over the summer between their junior and senior years. By doing this, they give themselves more time to focus specifically on their actual artwork.

If you ask any of the artists at Delbarton they would tell you how much fun it is to watch their art progression from the beginning of the sophomore year to the end of senior year. The art teachers make the experience all the much better. Overall, if you are thinking about enhancing your artistic abilities, Delbarton’s sophomore program is the perfect place to get started.