Art

A common refrain heard within the four walls of the art classroom is the all-familiar declaration of “[Tea]cher, I cannot draw.” Prior to the lesson, students may form preconceived notions of their artistic capacities and capabilities and develop a fixed mindset on what they are able to achieve. In order to develop in our students the confidence to communicate personal responses, spark curiosity and wonder in the wider contexts of culture and society and to nurture the art classroom as a non-judgemental space for experimentation, the art unit has implemented key level milestone art programmes to foster self-confidence and a sense of achievement through the practice of the visual arts.

Lower Secondary Art

During the post-examination Secondary 1 Craft & Technology (C&T) Learning Fiesta, students participate in an interdisciplinary programme to design Halloween-themed coasters and holders to complement the food items made. This year’s Secondary 2 Art Mural Project involved students collaborating with the school’s Environment Committee in an effort to both beautify the school’s ‘Eco-hub’ and to raise awareness on the importance of recycling. Students conducted research and investigations into local and international mural artists and designed artworks based on the theme of sustainability.

Upper Secondary Art

Upper Secondary Art students embarked on a wide range of programmes tailored to enable students to develop 21st century skills and competencies. In an effort to provide students with real-life educational and career guidance (ECG) in the visual arts industries, students participated in a variety of programmes tailored to their learning needs. Graduating students visited the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) Open House to gain exposure to possible post-secondary visual arts and design educational pathways. 

All Secondary 3 students embarked on the Secondary 3 Art Learning Journey to visit the Arts Elective Programme (AEP) Exhibition at School of the Arts (SOTA). They experienced immersive technology enhanced artwork in the ‘Van Gogh: The Immersive Exhibition’ at Resorts World Sentosa where they were treated to a virtual reality (VR) experience of life seen through the eyes of Vincent Van Gogh. 

Secondary 3 Art students also experienced differentiated instruction via customised art programmes that provided them with authentic learning opportunities, with the Normal Academic (NA) and Express (Exp) students taking part in the National Organ Transplant Unit (NOTU) Live-on Festival Design Competition, and the Normal Technical (NT) students taking part in the 2023 Ignite Skills Challenge and the National Art Council artist-in-school-scheme (NAC-AISS) e-textiles project entitled ‘What We Want Our Clothes to Say About Us’.

In a letter to his beloved brother Theo in September 1889, Vincent Van Gogh wrote, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." Indeed, through the Springfield Secondary Art curriculum, we aim to inspire our art students to develop a growth mindset towards art-making, critical thinking skills and to cultivate a lifelong appreciation for the visual arts well beyond their secondary school years.