• Visual arts

The Diploma Programme visual arts course enables students to engage in both practical exploration and artistic production, and in independent contextual, visual and critical investigation, with option A students focusing more on the former and option B students on the latter. The course is designed to enable students to study visual arts in higher education and also welcomes those students who seek life enrichment through visual arts.

Students work on a sequence of projects that form the beginning of a personal vision. Research into a tradition directly related to the student’s studio work is emphasized. Students are to examine works of art in their social, cultural and historical contexts. One or more Research Workbooks are expected to be completed.

Twelve or more pieces of high quality art are required. Towards the end of the senior year, the students present their work for external assessment. An outside examiner will come to our school. The research workbook and an hour interview is part of that assessment.

The core elements that are studied over the two-year course are as follows:

• Practice in the use of various media and studio techniques
• Use of basic Art concepts
• Extending research into practical work
• Practice the criticism and analysis of Art
• Relating Art to its Socio-cultural and historical contexts.
• Showing relationships between form and meaning in Visual Arts
• Demonstrating knowledge in the aesthetic qualities of Visual Arts