IB VA 2016 The breakdown of the newly structured Visual Arts Classes

A MINI OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THE CHANGES THE CORE SYLLABUS IS COMPOSED OF 3 PARTS.  Visual Art in Context  The cycle of inquiry, considering and comparing work from a variety of cultures, historical, social contexts. Analyzing, interpreting, comparing, evaluating, using art vocabulary. Reflection and understanding.  Visual Arts Processes  Experimenting with techniques, media, processes, developing a body of resolved and unresolved work, self review and critique, documentation in visual arts journal.  Presenting and Communicating Visual Arts  This 3rd part has to do with understanding curatorial processes, what makes an effective exhibition and selecting and presenting the students own work.  Instead of an IWB there is a Visual Arts Journal

HOW WILL THIS BE ASSESSED? PART 1:THE COMPARATIVE STUDY FOR POINTS 20% EXTERNALLY ASSESSED PART 1:THE COMPARATIVE STUDY  compare and contrast the work of (at least 2) different artists from different cultural contexts (HL students will also include a reflection of how this relates to their own work)  SL screens  HL screens & 3-5 screens comparing own work

INTRODUCING THE COMPARATIVE STUDY  The newest addition to the VA curriculum is the CS, an independent critical and contextual investigation that explores artworks, objects and artifacts from differing cultural contexts.  The CS is one of the 3 components required by the new curriculum and it constitutes 20% of the final mark. 3 components  It is basically a comparative, analytic investigation that strikes a balance between visual and written, with NO PRESCRIBED FORMAT

WHAT EXACTLY IS REQUIRED FOR THE CS?  SL pages (screens)  HL Pages ( screens) Pages (screens) which analyze the extent to which their work has been influenced by the art and artists examined.  The number of pages actually refers to the number of screens because this will be presented and viewed on computer screens; bear this in mind and present accordingly! The pages submitted examine and compare at least 3 artworks at least 2 of which need to be by different artists. The work selected for comparison should come from contrasting contexts (local, national, international and/or intercultural). Ideally students should see one of the works firsthand. Acknowledge sources!

WHAT ARE THE ASSESSED CRITERIA FOR THE CS?  A Analysis of formal qualities points  B Interpretation of function and purpose points  C Evaluation of cultural significance points  D Making comparisons and connections points  E Presentation and subject specific language..6 Points  F (HL ONLY) Making connections to own art practice..12 points

THE ROLE OF THE VISUAL JOURNAL IN THE CS  The Visual Journal (sketchbook) collects and contains all the students visual and written experimentation and investigations.Visual Journal  Use the Journal to specifically document the CS research and responses to each piece.  Include detailed interpretations, evaluations, and comparisons.  Select and adapt from these pages for the CS

SEE PDFS FOR CURRENT EXAMPLES OF BOTH SL AND HL CS  Will post examples of the CS ASAP!!!!!

PART 2: PROCESS PORTFOLIOPART 2: PROCESS PORTFOLIO EXTERNALLY ASSESSED  the students journey of art ‐ making: their engagement with different media and techniques, documentation of process, reflections on artists & artworks and the development of ideas.  SL: 9 ‐ 18 pages/screens submitted.  HL: 13 ‐ 25 pages/screens submitted.

THE JOURNEY  The Process Portfolio, or PP, is 40 % of the final mark and it is the testimony of the student's artistic journey during the course. It is not intended to be of polished, refined, or even resolved work; final work is presented for the Exhibition component of the course.  The PP is a collection of carefully selected materials which document the students experimentation, exploration, manipulation and development of a variety of visual arts activities during the two-year course.

 The process portfolio is an important component to the VA exam because it links the student from their technical experimentation and critical investigations to their exhibition work. “The work selected for submission should show how students have explored and worked with a variety of techniques, effects and processes in order to extend their art-making skills base. This will include focused, experimental, developmental, observational, skill-based, reflective, imaginative and creative experiments which may have lead to refined outcomes.”

 While this component of the exam cannot contain teacher-directed work, it is critical that teachers take the time to prepare the students on the use of various media.  Teachers should discuss with the student their experiments and guide them appropriately.  Teachers should also ensure that the students have worked with the correct number of art- making forms, as outlined in the art-making forms table.

 The PP doesn't have a set format, It is presented for assessment on screen therefor it can be compiled from various sketchbooks and other sources.  However, I strongly recommend the continued use of a sketchbook for what is now called the Visual Journal. The Visual Journal will serve as a repository for all the students drawing, research, media experiments, notes, brainstorming, and development of ideas for each of the other components of the course. The Visual Journal itself is not assessed but it is key in providing the bulk of raw material when compiling the screens for the PP.

ROLE OF THE SKETCHBOOK, OR JOURNAL:  The Journal could be a sketchbook of whatever size you prefer your students to work in, the format however is not prescribed. This is the student’s personal record of their artistic journey and they should feel free and uninhibited to choose what form it takes and what content it contains. Some students may produce more than one journal during the course,...  Pages from the Visual Journal can be included in the PP as well as from other sketchbooks, notebooks, loose drawings, folios documenting the development of both resolved and unresolved works.  A difference between the PP and the IWB (2015) is the significant increase in weight that is given to skills, techniques, and processes.

DOCUMENTING PROCESS  Making art is a continuously changing and evolving process. Its a good idea to get in the habit of photographing work at different stages throughout the process.  This documentation can then be used as material for the Process Portfolio  Especially now that students are being asked to create process screens that not only include journal pages but also show the development of studio work, the failures, the changes, the whole process.

NO DOUBLE DIPPING WORK THAT APPEARS IN THE PP MAY NOT BE USED FOR THE EXHIBITION PRESENTATION AND VICE VERSA.  This basicly means that students can and should include developmental stages of work and various related experiments, including "failures" but the finished piece selected for the exhibition should not be included in the PP.  It's merely a question of not repeating photographic documentation so that students cannot present the same work for both components.

ART MAKING FORMS  SL students should work with at least two art- making forms from separate columns of the table. HL students with at least three art-making forms, selected from a minimum of two columns of the table.

ASSESSMENT HOW MUCH WORK?  Students submit a given number of screens rather than pages. There is no set specification as to how many words etc. A balance of visual and written content is desirable.  SL students submit 9–18 screens  HL students submit 13–25 screens

THE ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR THE PP INCLUDE 5 CRITERIA AS SHOWN IN THE TABLE BELOW.

PART 3:THE EXHIBITIONPART 3:THE EXHIBITION WITH A WRITTEN RATIONALE FOR POINTS 40% INTERNALLY ASSESSED BY TEACHER  Students reflect on their chosen body of work and provide a rationale for the decisions regarding the selection of certain pieces for exhibition.  SL: 4 ‐ 7 artworks, exhibition text and a curatorial rationale of max 400 words HL: 8-11 artworks, exhibition text & curatorial rationale max 700 words

THE FINAL EXHIBITION IS THE CULMINATION OF THE STUDENTS' IB ART EXPERIENCE. STUDENTS PRESENT A SELECTION OF THEIR BEST WORK IN THE FORM OF A CURATED FINAL SHOW, AND DEFEND AND ARTICULATE THEIR PURPOSE AND INTENTION IN A WRITTEN RATIONALE.

SELECTING WORK FOR THE EXHIBITION  Choose the strongest, most resolved artworks which show these qualities  technical competence  appropriate use of materials, techniques, processes  work which communicates the stated intentions  cohesiveness, unity among the works  breadth and depth  consideration for the overall experience of the viewer (through exhibition, display or presentation).  (note: students can present work for the exhibition in any medium, having met the requirements for the Process Portfolio of working in a range of art making forms)

HOW MUCH WORK IS NEEDED? SLHL a selection of 4-7 resolved artwork from the exhibition a selection of 8-11 resolved artwork from the exhibition a written Curatorial Rationale 400 words max a written Curatorial Rationale 700 words max

WHAT ARE EXAMINERS LOOKING FOR IN THE EXHIBITION?  technical accomplishment  conceptual strength of the work  resolution or communication of the stated intentions about the work

OTHER REQUIREMENTS  Exhibition Text  For each piece included students write a brief exhibition text (a few lines) which states the title, medium, size and a brief outline of the original intentions.  Exhibition Overview Photos  Students may include two photographs of the overall exhibition. This is not for assessment purposes but to help the moderator (who won't see the actual exhibition) better understand the overall layout and experience.  (note: only include the exhibition artworks submitted for assessment in the photos)  Additional Supporting Photos (optional)  Students may choose to include up to two additional photographs of each submitted work. This is intended to provide a sense of scale when showing large works or for pieces that have more than one viewpoint, such as sculpture or installation. These extra photos are not necessary for most studio pieces.

THE CURATORIAL RATIONALE  400 words max SL  700 words max HL  This is a written statement that accompanies the exhibition. The CR is not unlike the old candidate statement, but is longer, more in depth, and specifically addresses the body of work chosen for the exhibition. It explains the intentions of the student, considers the presentation the work using curatorial methodologies and the relationship with the viewer. Examples soon to follow! There will be a page dedicated to writing the CR, examples, etc.

THE ROLE OF THE VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL IN THE EXHIBITION  Throughout the course students can use their visual arts journal to make notes of and reflect on their intentions while making their work, and they can be encouraged to document the developments of this thought process.  For the Curatorial Rationale students can make selections from and adapt passages from their journal.  The Visual Journal can also be used to plan the exhibition, consider the space, the display, the sequencing, the viewers role, and other curatorial issues.