Visual Arts

Course summary

This studio-based course emphasises both students’ creative process and their final artistic product in 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional art forms. As students develop their craft they will conduct a thoughtful inquiry into their thinking and art-making processes, recording this learning in written and visual formats. All stages of the creative process must be thoroughly documented and evidence of in-depth research into chosen areas of interest and ideas for work must be shown and explained in detail. Students are expected to be independently motivated as they research the history and practice of a chosen art form and “big idea” or thesis across cultures, periods and disciplines. They will learn how to connect their research to their work, creating art that expresses personal meaning within a cultural, historical and discipline-based context. In addition to learning how to appreciate and evaluate their work and that of others, students will be encouraged to stretch and explore their work and share it with an audience. Students should aim to foster the following characteristics during their time on the course: • Select and use tools and techniques of chosen visual art forms to create original 2-D and 3-D works • Develop strategies to investigate one’s ideas and practice • Integrate independent research into daily studio work • Develop complex approaches to one’s art form • Make cross-cultural comparisons and connections in the chosen art form • Reflect meaningfully on the work of other artists • Critique one’s own and other's work and processes, using specialist vocabulary within the visual arts field