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A Much Bigger Canvas for Visual Arts at Morven
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  • Senior School
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Collingwood School

As we all know, our lives in the connected era contain an everexpanding density of visual media. Increasingly, it is important for young people to develop the tools needed to navigate this world — both as consumers of media and as creators of visual content.

With this in mind, the visual arts program at Collingwood’s Senior School has evolved significantly over the last several years. Greater emphasis is now being placed on helping student artists learn how to make sense of the media they are presented with by developing the fluency to recognize, understand and evaluate their visual experiences.

Young people also benefit greatly from the opportunity art provides to explore their own identities, concerns and beliefs. Visual art provides a space where students can ask these questions and express themselves through drawing (both analog and digital), photography, painting, video editing, sound design, sculpture, and VR experiences.

“Our goal is to help students develop an understanding of how to take ideas and synthesize them into visual media to impact audiences or to question and seek understanding of human experiences,” said Jake Francis, Head of Visual Arts at Morven, “these are the skills that artists explore.”

Immersed in VR, this student is drawing inspiration they will apply to their artistic explorations in a, new dynamic space. Coming to Studio 8/9 in September 2025.

Another big evolution in how the visual arts are being taught at Morven is the increasing integration of new tools and technologies. Art and visual media are rapidly changing both in the form that content takes and how it is being made. AI and machine-assisted image creation, for example, provide exciting new avenues for creation and challenge our current understanding of how art is made.

Student artists are encouraged to be curious and experiment with all the tools now available. They are encouraged to be adaptive as artists and reconsider their assumptions about how old technology, materials and processes are used and how new and different technologies can be infused into the artist’s studio.

While many serious art students intend to pursue an arts-focused educational path or career, visual arts courses at Morven are designed to be accessible to a wide variety of students regardless of their skill level, background or future goals. Many students discover the skills they gain in our classes benefit their academic pursuits across various fields. Many students also develop a passion for the arts and continue to deepen their practice with us each year.

In the big picture of student learning, visual arts allow students to develop important transfer skills. These are skills that students build in one academic area that later serve them across other disciplines. The visual arts provide an excellent opportunity for students to build their imagination, creativity and problem-solving abilities. They can then apply these skills to other academic areas such as entrepreneurship, mathematical thinking and reasoning, English classes and beyond.

– Jennifer Dousett, Director of Teaching, Learning and Innovation, Senior School

Visual Arts classes at Collingwood’s Senior School

Please refer to the Academic Handbook in Veracross for the most current course descriptions.

Studio 8

This class explores traditional handmade art techniques like drawing, painting and sculpting to build foundational skills. Students connect these traditions to digital tools like Procreate on the iPad and emerging technologies like virtual reality, blending the past and future of art making. Artist-centred projects allow students to pursue ideas and interests they care about in their art.

Studio 9

Expanding on their artistic journey, students build on traditional techniques, creating physical artworks while integrating digital tools like Procreate and virtual reality. This hands-on studio course allows them a look into animation, sound design and videography while maintaining a focus on physical media. As they gain independence in their creative process, students discover how their art connects to a wider audience, blending tactile skills with modern tools to express their ideas in today’s world.

Digital Studio 10/11

An introduction to advanced digital art-making, including T-shirt design and screen printing, short film production with a Canon C200 industry-level camera, professional photography and lighting. Students will build their portfolios and graphic design skills with Adobe Express Animation with Procreate. Gr. 11 students take on leadership roles as creative directors on larger projects. Gr. 10 students focus on media experiences and skill-building.

Digital Studio 12

This class is designed as a Gr. 12-only course. Students work with Collingwood Alumni in creative industries to build project ideas. Projects include work in video, photo and graphics media kits for term 1 Morven Athletics. Independent inquiry projects focus on students’ personal passions and interests, with the option to participate in the BC Zoomfest short film contest as a final project.

Art Studio 10-12

Coursework includes an increased focus on building skills in studio art approaches. Digital aspects are integrated to provide optimum art-making opportunities. Larger and more independent projects are the focus as students move through the years.

AP Studio Art 12

A rich and challenging experience for students to create a portfolio of their year’s work for submission to the College Board.

This story is featured in the Winter 2025 edition of Bridge Magazine.

See the full issue here.

  • Arts
  • Visual Arts