The Visual Arts Conservatory Overview 

Orange County School of the Arts

The Visual Arts Conservatory offers 7th through 12th grade students the opportunity to learn fine art studio techniques, as well as improve upon existing artistic skills. Students will explore both traditional art-making methods and innovative, cutting edge art practices. Visual Arts students follow a fixed schedule of core requirement classes during 7th, 8th, and 9th grades. Students then have the opportunity to choose college level elective classes during 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. The result is that Visual Arts students build a college-level art portfolio that reflects talent, skill, and professionalism, along with a personal narrative body of work. This program is designed for students who love to make art of any kind, including drawing, painting, ceramics, photography, and graphic design, as well as computer design and computer illustration or animation.

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Visual Arts Conservatory faculty members focus on preparing students to pursue a secondary education in the arts by utilizing a four or six-year curriculum path that culminates with the production of an outstanding college entrance art portfolio. The goal is to help each individual student get to where they choose to go next – whether that be an art conservatory, a university art program, any art-related professional position, or to apply the creative skills learned in the Visual Arts Conservatory to another field of interest in higher education. Upon graduation, Visual Arts students will be prepared to attend a four-year university or arts conservatory program, as well as enter the commercial illustration and design industries.