Why did you choose this subject and level?

I chose to do VA HL because I genuinely always enjoyed anything that involved art. Especially when finding out more about the curriculum, VA gives you the opportunity to explore so many mediums like sculpting, sketching, stop motion animation, painting and so much more. Thus, pursuing this subject and level was an opportunity for me to do all this. We never had an art curriculum this hands-on and diverse in ICA, so I was really excited (and after two years of VA HL, the experience was definitely what I expected it to be despite the pandemic).

What do you like most about this subject and level?

I really loved that we had so many different types of projects that allowed us to explore our unique creativity. Every VA student brought something unique to the table, whether it was their art style (minimalism, abstract, realistic, etc.) of the concepts they decided to make art around (dark themes, self-love, illnesses, etc.). Through our projects, we got to know one another and appreciate everyone’s works.

What is it about in your own words?

Visual Arts HL is an opportunity for students to explore all forms of art on an academic level that challenges the way you view art.

What were your major considerations in choosing it?

I genuinely considered how much I was going to enjoy learning in the subject. Honestly, it was a hard decision because as someone who isn’t pursuing art in their future career, I was weighing the practicality of pursuing VA over BM. So I asked myself which of the two I would probably regret not pursuing the most? Then I realized that I was so much more enthusiastic about VA and here I am! Definitely no regrets :)))

What would you advise someone thinking of taking it?

You don’t have to be artistically gifted!!!! You don’t need to be a great artist coming into VA!!! The whole point of the subject is for you to learn and explore art! You just need to be genuinely interested in learning more about art, and enjoy the whole journey!! Be patient with yourself too. You’re here to learn! They aren’t expecting you to be amazing right away, because what IB wants to see is your growth as an artist BECAUSE of the opportunities that the curriculum gives you!

What resources helped you the most in this subject? How was the workload?

YouTube!!! Watching past students talk about their assessments (process portfolio, comp study, exhibition) definitely helped me understand better what the IB is looking for exactly. And!! Ask Ms.Esteban everything!!!! She knows better than anyone else so take advantage of the fact she’s an email away! On the other hand, the workload was manageable as long as you take it one step at a time. You can never rush an artwork because it will definitely show so much more than a written assessment. So don’t procrastinate and expect yourself to magically produce a masterpiece in one night! But if you do procrastinate, take this as an opportunity to discipline yourself! Don't you want to know what you could do if you don’t procrastinate and you’re not afraid to “just try”? (Caitlin Cheung, Cohort 1)

I have never been the kind of student who would excel in art, but I always had the interest and desire to learn more about art and how it’s done. Going into the subject, I only had the expectation that we would be constantly drawing and painting, learning different techniques and skills that would be beneficial for us in creating art. In the first few classes, it definitely was the kind of art class that I thought it would be, however in the next classes my expectations and perceptions of visual arts would completely change. In the succeeding classes, we learned more about the history and the various artists, who had a major influence on where art is right now. Visual arts as a subject goes beyond what kind of output you’ve done, but more so the planning, researching, and process making that you undertook, while doing your artwork. I did not expect it to be so detailed and process-oriented, as it definitely would take a lot of time and patience for each output to be created. Even though it was difficult, I can say that your appreciation for art would deepen as you would now understand the hard work and time that each artist would go place in each artwork. Taking visual arts at the standard level was challenging and enjoyable at the same time. For someone who is considering taking visual arts, this subject would definitely require you to develop the patience and appreciation for the process of making an artwork. (Maiquela Garces, Cohort 1)