West Orange High School has a lot of art courses to offer, but if you’re not the most artistic student and are eager to learn more about art,  Honors Art and the Human Experience is the elective for you! Honors Art and the Human Experience is a full year course taught by Ms. Podhurst, who also teaches 3D Design classes.

By taking this art history course, students in grades 10 through 12 can increase their understanding of world history through the expression of art in different cultures and eras.  A major objective of this class is to learn what art is, and how it is influenced by society. Students will take notes on different time periods of art, complete creative projects and create their own interpretations of art. One can learn how to interpret art by analyzing colors, lines, shapes and other elements of art in this class.

Ms. Podhurst teaches students the craft of thoroughly analyzing a painting, interpreting the story it might tell, and shifting your focus on the materials, colors, and art elements used in art.

Based on my personal experience of taking this class, I really enjoyed the creative projects where we choose an art work and created our own personal interpretation of it. I feel as though I really enriched my understanding of art and it’s monumental influence on our society. Art can tell a story and reveal information about the historical time periods that are taught in Modern World History classes during freshman year.

This course meets the Visual and Performing Arts credit requirement for graduation and is worth 5 credits.