Art 10 is a foundation course designed to teach students’ art-making skills and concepts, and to build their confidence as art-makers. Observational drawing is a fundamental skill learned in this class and is the basis for exploring various materials and processes in drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design and collage. Visual expression is explored through compositional principles and elements of design and through the selection, creation and manipulation of images for meaningful visual communication.
In art 20, students are working towards challenging themselves to develop confidence and expertise in their artistic skills while making visual expression that is personally and culturally meaningful. The course builds on the foundational skills explored in Art 10 with greater complexity and purpose. The process of making ideas a visual reality using the skills and practices of visual art is an integral part of the substance of the course. Students will use traditional and non-traditional approaches to create compositions and explore a wide range of visual art activities in the media of drawing, painting, printmaking, and two- and three-dimensional sculpture and design.
In art 30 students further develop these skills and techniques and are encouraged to experiment with and critically reflect upon a wide range of contemporary practices and media. Through in-depth studies and research, students are working towards a body of work that expresses a personal style.
IB art is a 2 year program available in grade 11( Art 20IB) and 12 (Art 30IB), and is taught in conjunction with Art 20 and Art 30. This program is designed for students who are passionate about art or want to go on to study visual arts in higher education. It is a challenging course that emphasizes thinking, researching and making art about ideas, across media. Students will gain familiarity with multiple ways of representing and thinking through a visual problem, theme or concept. An emphasis is placed upon looking at contemporary art practices for inspiration and knowledge. What is the function and purpose of art? How do contemporary artists think? What visual, historical or personal references influence their work? How does art address an audience? What does a work of art tell us about the world we live in? The 2 year IB program culminates in a student art show expressing their own interests, ideas, research and answers to these questions.