At Mid-Pacific Institute, we are proud to be the leaders - the pioneers - in both the arts and technology. These two disciplines were once mutually exclusive. However, that is no longer the case. As stated by Gale Ikeda, MPSA Visual Arts Program Head, "Art curriculum has gone through tremendous changes in the last ten years to where we can no longer think of art as just being created in an art studio filled with paints, palettes, brushes, clay and other materials long associated with the creation of art. ... Whether we like it or not, art is moving to a more technology-focused media." Hopefully a canvas and paints, as well as clay and a potter's wheel will always remain a consistent art medium for artists. However, in the meantime, technology is moving forward quickly. Along with this advancement are many opportunities for artistic expression waiting to be unveiled.
One of these opportunities was made possible for Mid-Pacific by the Cades Foundation. Through the Cades Foundation's generosity, the middle school has been able purchase the necessary hardware and software to launch the first-of-its-kind, 8th grade Fine Art Digital Media class. This one year course starts off with teaching the basic elements of art and design principles, which are still the cornerstone of any good art curriculum, and then merges the learning into the digital media form.
The second semester of the Fine Art Digital Media class is now in full swing and the students are quickly learning the features of the beautiful Wacom Cintiq monitors that were purchased through the grant from the Cades Foundation. Gale Ikeda describes the range of creativity that can be reached with this new technology, "The new tablets make it easier to draw than with a mouse. It's a merger of art and technology. With it, the students can add color, trace original art they scan in, create original paintings, tilt, magnify ... they can undo mistakes ... and there is no mess!"
"The focal purpose of this Digital Art class is to integrate the aspects of traditional art into the 21st century technology ... We are in the process of transforming our art pieces from the first semester into a portfolio of digital art," says student Lindsay Teruya '14. Based on the concepts they learned in the first semester of the course, the students photographed their original artwork and began layering and executing virtual paintings. Teruya explains, "The first project I recently completed was a still-life painting that consisted of numerous objects. I am currently working on creating a pop art picture of myself using Photoshop".
"It is amazing what the students have created so far using both Photoshop and Art Rage to create digital images," states Brian Grantham, Middle School Technology Director. "They are having fun using virtual oil paints, pastels, pencils, airbrushes, and other 'cool' tools to create a totally fun painting. The discoveries and possibilities are endless and future projects await their creative minds." The possibilities truly are endless, as demonstrated by the most recent technology ~ art exploration taken on by the 8th graders. This project utilized a device that most students these days are very familiar with - an iTouch! The use of the "Brushes" application on the middle school's iPod Touches has enabled the digital art class to move from inside the studio to an outside location. Through this innovative software, the students are creating art in the palm of their hands! ... At last, technology and art are no longer mutually exclusive. Today, they are an innovative combination that brings a world of creativity to our students!
