Fine Arts

The St. Johnsbury Academy Fine Arts department offers a comprehensive range of courses that provide a solid technical and aesthetic foundation. Our courses aim to provide the necessary creative skills for students who plan to pursue careers in art or in any other field in which creative thinking is an asset.

Visual Arts Courses: Foundations of Drawing and Painting, Anatomy and Figure Drawing, Printmaking, Photography, Fashion Design, Filmmaking, Digital Design, Clay, Sculpture, Water-based Painting, Oil Painting, Portfolio, AP Art, and Visual Art Capstone.

Performing Arts Courses: Acting, Stagecraft, Ballet, Modern Dance, Popular Dance, Training for the Athlete, Band, Jazz Band, Chorus, Strings, Guitar, Music Appreciation/Theory, and AP Music.

We offer advanced courses in all of the areas of study listed above.

Frequent exhibits and performances both at the Academy and in the larger community, showcase the creative work of our students. We welcome choreographers, directors, actors, dancers, and musicians as visiting artists and guest lecturers throughout the year.

Our fine arts faculty is a group of professional working artists. The performing arts instructors are current in their own practice and are deeply involved in outside events and performances. Our visual artists have their own studio practices and exhibit work regularly. This level of professionalism greatly enhances the experience of our students.

The Charles Hosmer Morse Center for The Arts provides a wonderful home for our fine arts department. Cutting-edge studio spaces and a black-box theatre make up the beautiful, light-filled modern structure. The Academy partners with several local and state arts institutions, programs, and organizations including the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, Catamount Arts, Fairbanks Museum, and the Vermont Arts Council, allowing our students exposure to other art opportunities.

Fine Arts Department Mission

The mission of the fine arts department is to offer instruction, resources and a culture that inspires students to develop artistic awareness and proficiency by providing a professional environment and a comprehensive curriculum in the visual and performing arts. We believe that the exploratory creative process encourages cognitive growth and builds creative problem solving skills that promote resilience and flexible thinking.