Last year, The Academy was excited to announce a new Photography Program. This program was made possible by generous support from The Academy’s dear friend, Tom Fiske. Mr. Fiske’s leadership catalyzed The Academy’s first-ever robust photography curriculum and dedicated photography lab space.

Thanks to generous, continued support from Mr. Fiske, we are pleased to announce the expansion of this impactful program. The Photography Program is a collaboration between the Visual and Media Arts departments. 

Thank you, Mr. Fiske for believing that art matters!

For more information on the Photography Program, see below for course descriptions, photos from our launch event, and student work.

Photography Program Launch Event

Photography Courses at The Academy

Digital Photography
New students take Digital Photography as part of the Design curriculum. The principal skills and concepts of digital photography are explored as students take critical eye to the composition and content of photographs.Students experiment with the distinction of taking verses making a photographic image, and learn the basics of processing and printing digital images. Students learn how to control manual setting on a camera such as exposure, aperture, shutter speed and ISO, how to edit images via Adobe Photoshop, and how to format and print images operating an Epsom printer. This course is the base for students to learn how to document their own art work for college entry and also serves as the foundation for students to take future courses and pursue independent projects in print and digital media as an emphasis in their portfolio.

Four-Dimensional Studio
This course explores four-dimensional or time based mediums and the intersection of analog and digital processes. Digital studio/4D Studio is course for students interested in pursuing forms video, photography, sound art, and digital installation and provides instruction in audio tools and video editing. This course is for advanced students and coincides and compliments the Interdisciplinary Arts course as it provides technical instruction and assistance with independent projects. 

More about Tom Fiske

Our new guided focus on photography at The Academy is made possible by a generous gift by Tom Fiske. A lifelong artist and virtuosic photographer, Mr. Fiske attended Kendal School of Design in Grand Rapids, pursued illustrative photography at Rochester Institute of Technology, and studied advanced advertising at Northwestern University. His professional career began as a photographer for Arthur Andersen in Chicago, and in the subsequent decades he worked as a photography director, art director, executive producer, and associate partner at Andersen Consulting. As an artist, Mr. Fiske’s interests range from abstract work, to landscape and sports photography. The Academy is deeply grateful for his support.