IB Diploma Visual Arts - Overview

The study of Visual Arts for the IB Diploma programme provides students with the opportunity to explore, experience and develop their personal responses to their world. Students discover ways to interpret and comment on their environment, culture and self.

Each Visual arts course consists of two linked compulsory parts, with many activities integrating work in the studio with workbook research.

In common to each course are core elements, which include the:

• Introduction to art concepts, criticism and analysis
• Acquisition of studio technical and media skills
• Relation of art to sociocultural and historical contexts

Teachers design their courses of study according to three main factors:

• The cultural background and personal needs of the student
• The situation of the school and the influences of local culture
• The teacher’s own training and special skills

Aims

The aims of the Visual Arts course at Higher Level and Standard Level are to:

• Provide students with opportunities to make personal, sociocultural and aesthetic experiences meaningful through the production and understanding of art
• Exemplify and encourage an inquiring and integrated approach towards visual arts in their various historical and contemporary forms
• Promote visual and contextual knowledge of art from various cultures
• Encourage the pursuit of quality through experimentation and purposeful creative work in various expressive media
• Enable students to learn about themselves and others through individual and, where appropriate, collaborative engagement with the visual arts