Art Department

Faculty Members

• John Houchin, Department Chairperson

The Visual Arts Program

Students at Santa Barbara Junior High Have the option of taking a semester of basic art, a year of art foundations, and a second year of advanced art. Generally the art program is designed to provide experiences in as wide a variety of media and art forms as possible.

Projects include:  lead pencil, pastel, charcoal and colored pencil drawing, sculpture, tempera paint, watercolor, India ink, collage and in Advanced Art Painter 8 and Photoshop.  Students complete projects in the style of various artists and theme-based projects including color and design theory, architecture, photography, fashion illustration, life drawing and abstract design, among others.

The Advanced Art class, offered to 8th grade students, is treated like a GATE or Honors class.  Students in Advanced Art occasionally have opportunities to visit museums in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, and complete special projects in photography and iMovie.  Drawing strategies are covered in depth, and students work on extended units in textiles, Asian aesthetics and theater design.

Santa Barbara Junior High’s art program is well-funded and supported by the PTSA, school and district administration. It provides a strong foundation for all students, and is the main feeder school for the Visual Art and Design Academy (VADA) and the Multi-media and Design Academy at Santa Barbara High School.