The Academy of Visual and Performing Arts Visual Art department allows students to explore their creativity in a variety of media, techniques, and styles while guiding them through the processes of Drawing and Painting, Design, Ceramics, and Sculpture. From traditional Drawing and Painting to Digital Media, students are exposed to every form of creative expression on canvas to the pottery wheel.

Academy art students are offered opportunities to engage in an in-depth study of the Arts through internships at The Museum of Contemporary Art and The Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Art students are given opportunities to exhibit their artwork on the local, regional, and national levels. Museum exhibitions have included many of the most prestigious museums in Los Angeles and abroad including The Museum of Contemporary Art, UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The African American Museum, The Wende Museum, and The Santa Monica Museum of Art. Academy art students earn college credit by taking classes offered through The Santa Monica College Dual Enrollment Program.

Classes have included: Figure Drawing, Design, Drawing, and Watercolor. Other art programs available include: Ryman Arts at USC, Young Artist Studio Program at OTIS College, Portfolio Preparation at OTIS College, Summer of Art at OTIS College, Saturday High at Art Center, and The California State Summer School for the Arts at CalArts.