untitled, unfinished & unmasked

by Jane Marita Thomas, IBDP Art Teacher

When undertaking the writing of this piece, it was imperative to ask our 18 IBDP art students themselves to express something in their “own words” about their journey through the International Baccalaureate Visual Arts course. The overwhelming response from students was that they appreciated the freedom to devise their own learning (within set parameters). As one student expressed: “Visual Arts gave me the space to be creative and plan my own IB journey, when I didn't feel in control of anything else.” (Ayana, Grade 12)

The materials used in this year's Exhibition are predominantly those considered “traditional” such as drawing, oil painting, printmaking and working with wood and clay. It’s interesting that despite the current proliferation of AI Art, and the students' access to a wide range of technology, they have opted to create using conventional methods with their own hands. From Grade 9 through to Grade 11, these students experienced the periodic suspension of face-to-face instruction in school. It could be inferred that the students’ desire to use skills and techniques removed from technology is a reaction against having large blocks of time attached to screens and little experiential learning during periods online. 

IBDP Art students develop their own projects to reflect their individual creativity in the two-year course.

An IBDP Art student works on a piece of art in the freedom of the studio-style Art and Design Wing at YIS.

As an adjunct to the Exhibition this year, we will be displaying excerpts from the student’s Process Portfolios. From looking at these it is evident that the works on display are the end product of an in-depth exploration of techniques and concepts by the students. Over the two years, students often noted that when they immersed themselves in the process of creating art, it was sometimes hard to leave to do something else. This type of learning can be described as the state of flow in which learners are so engrossed in an activity that they lose sense of time and no other activity matters during that time. (Csikszentmihalyi, 1991). 

In the Diploma Programme, the Visual Arts course is unique in that the students can demonstrate their learning visually. They can share their growth and development over time through a body of work that they are responsible for curating. The Exhibition is an opportunity for the viewers to join the students as a community to celebrate the students’ creativity and differing perspectives.

An exterior wall of the Main Building on our previous campus was the canvas for a mural celebrating our history since 1924.

A DP Art course student works on non-traditional pieces involving colored beads.

“You learn for yourself not for others, not to show off, not to put the other one down/ learning is your secret, it is all you have, it is the only thing you can call your own. nobody can take it away…”― Louise Bourgeois

Families and friends of our artists are invited to join them for the official opening and reception of the Exhibition on Friday, April 7, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm, in the Auditorium.