High
School
Art
Art Program
The NHS Art Department offers an open studio environment that holds creativity as king and teaching methods and concepts of technical art making. Students that work in this open studio are encouraged to mentor and learn from each other. Because art is a visual media, the mere presence of students making art side by side in the same space almost daily allows students to see works develop into fine pieces of individual art. Social interaction around the subject of art is applauded and fostered.
The program’s philosophy runs deep in the belief that creative and technical knowledge must run side by side to develop a successful, confident and competent artist. Students are exposed to the historical evolution of art with an emphasis on the appreciation of art and how it was made. This knowledge of art appreciation is often explored in their own works of art. Students are called upon to “make art” in a timely manner by taking risks and always focusing on creativity, craftsmanship, basic art concepts, and truthful self-evaluation. It is our hope that students will carry the art making process throughout their lives.
NHS student art is recognized yearly for excellence in All-State Art Festival and The Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards, as well as high scores on AP Studio Art Portfolios. Students have also been accepted to art schools and departments like RISD, Massachusetts College of Art, Emerson College, Art Institute of Boston, Syracuse University, Umass Dartmouth, and NYU.
FACULTY
Erin Carney
Erin Carney joined the NHS Art department in 2014. She received her Undergraduate degree from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in both Sculpture and Art Education and her Masters degree from Framingham State University. She loves teaching a variety of classes and lots of different materials and techniques. She prioritizes the process over the product and considers herself to be a lifelong learner and maker. Through careful lesson planning and organization she strives to develop a curriculum that supports creative problem solving and nurtures an excitement for making.
Nathalie Fitzgerald
Nathalie Fitzgerald has taught at NHS since 2018. She graduated from Providence College with a BA in studio art with a concentration in painting and an art history minor. She received her Masters in Education from Fitchburg State University.
Nathan Nottingham
Nathan Nottingham joined the NHS Art Department in 2010. Nottingham has received both is Bachelors and Masters degrees in Art Education from Syracuse University, where he studied a variety of media and art history. As a practicing artist, Nottingham continues to expand his own repertoire of skills and encourages his students to do the same through a multitude of projects designed both to work with new materials and to build understanding of their surroundings and self through the production of art.
“If you hear a voice within you say you cannot paint, then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced”