Young Artist Hub

Canada Star Secondary School offers a studio environment for students to explore their creative interests.  Our school provides students with the opportunity to produce and learn about numerous mediums of art and design.

The Young Artist Hub program exists to empower students to pursue art and design studies at higher levels of learning, beyond secondary school.  Our teachers educate and assist students in learning new skills and developing a breadth of creative material for their portfolios.  If you have an interest in drawing, painting, digital drafting, 3D modelling or other forms of artistic expression, our program will be a great fit for you!

Canada Star Secondary’s Young Artist Hub Program offers:

  • Experienced art instructors
  • Specialized art classroom
  • Portfolio preparation assistance
  • AP art credit courses available
  • Portfolio showcase day for prospective schools

If you have an interest in 2D or 3D art, fashion illustration, painting, digital media, photography and/or sculpting our school is for you!  The Young Artist Hub is a program located within Canada Star Secondary School.  It is an after-school program, offering professional academic planning and instruction to students with a strong interest in visual arts and design.  We follow a precise curriculum that ensures our students are developing their creative skills and critical thinking to reach their goals.  Students have access to courses including youth art, introductory art, design and vocational skills.  The program provides comprehensive guidance and training to help prepare portfolios for applications to top art and design universities.

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Meet our instructors:

David Alba- David’s teaching draws on his experience as an architectural designer, and an instructor.  David has enjoyed the opportunity to be engaged in architectural projects across a variety of contexts, from his home province of British Columbia, as well as in Ontario, Europe, and Africa.  He has taught courses and guest lectured at leading post-secondary institutions specialized in art, design, and architecture.  He is excited by the potential that design has to actively contribute toward community wellbeing and to facilitate extraordinary experiences.  David is passionate about providing effective opportunities for learning and development for a diverse group of students.  He will work closely with the Canada Star team to equip students with knowledge and skills that will propel them forward in their academic and career pursuits.  David received his Master of Architecture from the University of Toronto and holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design (Honors) from the University of British Columbia.
Dianna Bao is an artist and teacher with years of experience working in creative and education industry. She is receiving her Master of Education degree from UBC in 2022, and she received her BFA degree from the Alberta University of Arts in 2014. Dianna started teaching arts in 2010, and she has been working with various creative institutions like RongBaoZhai Art Educa-tion, Photosunlimited Canada, ArtBank, Calgary Chinese Private School etc. through the past decade. Dianna is passionate about painting and ceramic arts, her current research interest is in studio-based creative practice.
David Alba- David’s teaching draws on his experience as an architectural designer, and an instructor.  David has enjoyed the opportunity to be engaged in architectural projects across a variety of contexts, from his home province of British Columbia, as well as in Ontario, Europe, and Africa.  He has taught courses and guest lectured at leading post-secondary institutions specialized in art, design, and architecture.  He is excited by the potential that design has to actively contribute toward community wellbeing and to facilitate extraordinary experiences.  David is passionate about providing effective opportunities for learning and development for a diverse group of students.  He will work closely with the Canada Star team to equip students with knowledge and skills that will propel them forward in their academic and career pursuits.  David received his Master of Architecture from the University of Toronto and holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design (Honors) from the University of British Columbia.
Dianna Bao is an artist and teacher with years of experience working in creative and education industry. She is receiving her Master of Education degree from UBC in 2022, and she received her BFA degree from the Alberta University of Arts in 2014. Dianna started teaching arts in 2010, and she has been working with various creative institutions like RongBaoZhai Art Educa-tion, Photosunlimited Canada, ArtBank, Calgary Chinese Private School etc. through the past decade. Dianna is passionate about painting and ceramic arts, her current research interest is in studio-based creative practice.

Courses offered:  AP Art Program (credited courses)

The AP Art program is an intensive program designed for highly motivated students with interest in studying art beyond the secondary school level. This program requires significant commitment, with the expectation that students work on assignments outside of regular classroom hours. Prior to entry, students must have completed Grade 11 Visual Art, or be able to demonstrate an equivalent level of competence through an existing body of work. The successful completion of AP art courses and corresponding AP college board exams will allow students to accumulate academic credits towards both their high school diploma and their first year of university.

AP Art History
AP Art History is a college level, introductory art history course. Students will learn about styles, techniques, themes, and chronology that will allow them to compare artforms from varied perspectives. This will enrich their understanding of art history by allowing them to critique works of art and place them in historical context. This course appeals to a broad range of students, with benefit to those contemplating post-secondary studies in fine art and design.

Course/Learning Objectives:
The successful completion of AP art courses and corresponding AP college board exams will allow students to accumulate academic credits towards both their high school diploma and their first year of post-secondary studies.

AP Art and Design:
The AP Art and Design program is an inquiry-based approach to creative practice and methodology. It consists of three separate AP courses (AP 2D Art and Design, AP 3D Art and Design, and AP Drawing) in which students will investigate materials, processes and concepts in the context of each topic. These courses will be structured around creating a portfolio of projects driven by a sustained topic of investigation chosen by the student.
AP 2D Art and Design focuses on creating design investigations in 2D mediums with an emphasis on layout and image creation. Students will learn to engage with a variety of media and techniques, including photography, hand-drawing, collage, computer-aided drawing and graphic manipulation to effectively communicate their designs.

Course/Learning Objectives:
The successful completion of AP 2D Art and Design will allow students to:
– Effectively communicate critical thinking, process, and vision for creative projects
– Develop a collection of creative work driven by a sustained investigation for their portfolio
– Hone drawing and painting skills
– Effectively utilize image editing software for digital illustrations and image effects (eg.
Photoshop, Illustrator and Procreate)
– Communicate designs using technical drafting conventions
– Effectively utilize CAD software for 2D drafting (eg. Rhino)

AP 3D Art and Design focuses on creating design investigations in 3D mediums with an emphasis on human-centered solutions. Students will learn to engage with a variety of media and techniques such as, scale model building, sculpting, computer-aided modeling, and digital visualizations.

Course/Learning Objectives:
The successful completion of AP 3D Art and Design will allow students to:
– Effectively communicate critical thinking, process, and vision for creative projects
– Effectively engages with creative process through iteration, refinement, and critique
– Develop a collection of creative work driven by a sustained investigation for their portfolio
– Hone analog 3D modeling skills (eg. scale design mockups, and sculpture)
– Effectively utilize CAD software for 3D modeling (eg. Rhino)

AP Drawing focuses on developing visual investigations and honing an understanding of drawing fundamentals such as line, shape, value, composition, and perspective.

Course/Learning Objectives:
The successful completion of AP Drawing will allow students to:
– Effectively communicate critical thinking, process, and vision for creative projects
– Develop a collection of creative work driven by a sustained investigation for their portfolio
– Hone drawing using a variety of mediums (eg. graphite, ink, conté, charcoal and pastel)

These courses are intended to be the equivalent of a one-semester, introductory college course in 2-D art and design, 3-D art and design, and drawing, respectively. The completion of each course will allow students to gain academic credits that count toward a high school diploma. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to submit a portfolio demonstrating the work completed during the course, to AP college board for grading. A successful grade will allow the student to obtain academic credits for their first year of post-secondary studies. These courses will appeal to highly motivated students with interest in post-secondary studies in art and design fields including fine art, architecture, industrial design, graphic design, and fashion design.

Pictures of student work:

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