School of Design
Faculty
Ms. Buonaiuto, Fine Arts
Ms. Haines, Fine Arts
Ms. Shelley, Digital Arts
Mr. Fargali, Digital Arts, 3D Design
Mr. Davis, Digital Arts, Game Design
Majors
Art & Design
Fine Arts
The Fine Arts combine observational drawing and making to cultivate a cohesive artistry through 2D mediums. Students discover their own visual style and identity through drawing, painting, and illustration. In class, students explore a variety of making practices including: drawing, painting, collage, illustration, photography, printmaking, and sculpting.
This major is primarily analog and celebrates handmade artwork. Some projects use Procreate or Adobe Sketch. The goal is for each student to develop their own individual style and identity through courses in drawing, painting, and illustration. We study through observation and generate unique ideas through 2D mediums.
Career fields include: Fine Arts, Illustration, Muralist, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Textile Design.
Majors Teachers: Ms. Mia Buonaiuto (Middle School Fine Arts) and Ms. Julia Haines (High School Fine Arts)
Ms. Mia Buonaiuto
Middle School Fine Arts
Mia Buonaiuto joined String Theory Schools as the Fine Arts teacher at Performing Arts, Vine Campus in 2021. Ms. Buonaiuto was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico to sculptors and got to be raised surrounded by art. She received her BFA in painting from the University of Arkansas. For six years, Ms. Buonaiutoworked as the Operations Director and resident artist at the Mount Gretna School of Art, a summer painting residence for College aged students. She has exhibited her paintings around the country. Ms. Buonaiuto has lived in Philadelphia for seven years now where she enjoys making art, gardening and of course, being with her students.
Ms. Julia Haines
High School Fine Arts
Julia Haines joined String Theory Schools as the High School Fine Arts teacher in 2021. She received her BFA in Fiber & Material Studies with a Certificate in Education from Tyler School of Art (Temple University). Currently, she is obtaining her MFA in Fine Art from The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Ms. Haines is a visual artist and educator who has worked in several private and public educational institutions such as The Barnes Foundation, The Handworks Studio, and The School District of Philadelphia. In her art practice, Ms. Haines has created art installations and artwork for Anthropologie, The Rittenhouse Fine Arts Festival, and The National Liberty Museum.
3D Design
3D design combines artistry with digital technology. In 3D design, a designer uses 2D and 3D media to create still, animated, multimedia, and/or interactive artwork. Drawing, sculpting, patterning, texturing, and using the elements and principles of art are daily practices.
This major is primarily digital. Adobe Suite, Blender, Onshape, Photoshop, Unity are some of the programs utilized in this course. We develop your artistic and technical abilities to build digital content in 2D and 3D formats. We experiment to create cross platform immersive content and environments.
Career fields include: Animation, Game Design, Graphic Design, Interactive Design, 3D Rendering, Social Media Design, Textile Design, and Video Game Design.
Majors Teachers: Ms. Shelley (Middle School Digital Design), Mr. Fargali (3d Design), Mr. Davis (Game Design)
Graphic Arts
Graphic Design
This major is primarily digital. Canva, Sketchbook, Adobe Photoshop Express, Adobe Rush, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Draw are some of the programs utilized during the school year. In the Graphic Design major, we develop your entrepreneurial instincts to create graphic designs and branding experiences for target audiences and markets.
Career fields include: Brand Design, Creative Director, Graphic Design, Social Media Design, UX/UI Design, and Website Design.