Everyone has a talent, whether in music, sports, dance, academics, or mechanics. At Lincoln-Way West, many students express their talents through art.

If you have a particular interest or style of art, there’s a class for you at West! Mr. Phil Labriola, Art Department Chair, shares, “We offer an introductory course called Art Fundamentals that covers the foundations of art in several different areas such as drawing, painting, design, three-dimensional art, and art history.  After taking Art Fundamentals, students can choose to continue on in our Drawing/Painting course and Drawing/Painting Advanced course, both of which are designed to further develop skills and techniques.  From there, students can enroll in AP Art and Design, which is a year-long course that focuses on creating a portfolio that is submitted to the AP College Board at the end of the year.

We also offer several courses that do not require Art Fundamentals.  We have two photography courses that focus on both darkroom and digital photography.  There are two ceramics courses where students learn techniques with clay to create a variety of projects.  Students can learn about metalworking, design, and fabricate their own metal pieces in our Jewelry course.  We offer two graphic design courses titled Design & Illustration and Digital Design.  Students learn graphic design skills both by hand and on the computer.  Students that are interested in Art History have the opportunity to pursue that interest in our AP Art History course.”

Whatever art style you enjoy, you’ll be able to pursue it while further exploring your personal interest. Mr. Labriola says, “The really great thing about the art curriculum is that it is designed to be unique for each student.  In each of our courses students are given the freedom to make their own choices like subject matter, designs, colors, etc… that are meaningful to them.”

If you find yourself in the art department (down by the auditorium), take a look and recognize the time and messages students put into their works of art. Come and express yourself with your unique talent! In the words of Mr. Labriola, “We encourage students to be creative and to show self-expression through their work.”