IB+Y2+Visual+Arts+2010-2011


 * Welcome to IB Visual Arts Y2 - 2010-2011**

**IB Visual Arts 1st semester final critique...** **Tuesday, December 7, 3:30-7:30PM** This will include a pot luck dinner at the end of the critiques before the bus ride home.

The IB Visual Art Retreat was a success with terrific students that were patient, helpful, empathetic and hard working. We shared in a 'Lighter Installation', hiked, pursued themes and conversations that matter, created 'Movie Cards', worked on bamboo sculptures with the help of a local craftsman, and spent time working on Photograph images that can stand alone or be manipulated to achieve a finished piece.

The class is now into their regular pursuits and projects with their 1st and 2nd work and journal investigations due toward the end of September.

· **Your Exam is scheduled for April 11-15. Parents! Mark your calendars to attend the IB Visual Art Exhibition tentatively planned for Tuesday OR Thursday evening, April 12 or 14 from 4:30-6:30PM.**

//Ginny Sampson//

=JUST FOR YOUR INFORMATION - IB Y2 Visual Art Criteria for Examinations=

**Components of the IB curriculum culminate on April 11-15 as students sit with an outside examiner.** The SAS teacher grade, along with the IB Examiner grade is moderated, potentially twice, before a final IB Visual Arts grade is determined for record.

Components of their grade include: 20-40 copied pages from their Investigation Books, 8-18 visual works and an Artist Statement. Variations in the number of required Investigation pages and pieces depend on the students choice of HLA, HLB, SLA, SLB focus. In addition to these parts, each student will sit with the External Examiner independently for 20-40 minutes where they will review their work and clarify their direction and process. The examination takes place in each students area of the larger whole IB Y2 Exhibition.

**ARTIST STATEMENT:** The artist statement is written to help explain the journey of the artist. In the care of the IB, it includes: Focus/Theme, Purpose, Contexts of the work, Art Forms/Mediums used, Techniques and Processes used, Skills developed throughout the process, Scale, Cultures researched, Artist infludences, Concerns, Sources used, and Achievements.

**INVESTIGATION BOOKS:** the investigation book documents the journey. It inlcudes research of artists, gallery visits, contextual research related to the theme (political, environmental, scientific, mathematical, social, artistic, psychological, personal, historic....), experiments, plans, and development of skills. Most pages include writing, sketches and other images on each page. The Investigation Book and Studio works should be clearly connected. Seclected pages of the Investigation Book are chosen for grading purposes.

**STUDIO WORKS:** Studio works should vary in medium and form to demonstrate full participation and experimentation with visuals. The student should consistently be pushing for a higher understanding of the theme andaesthitic judgement. The Investigation book supports the overall presentation of the Studio exhibition. Everything is connected in IB Visual Arts and should be synthesised and combined in a personal manner.

**CRB:** The CRB is the book that contains all the IB portfolio materials for the exam. Students will fill this out during the first week in April. It is submitted to the External Examiner and then sent off to various countries to be moderated.

**EXTERNAL EXAMINER:** The External Examiner is a teacher and IB examiner from Hong Kong. She has no affiliation to the school or to the students so that grading is purely awared on the work.

All grading includes the same base criteria though points, levels and weights of the components vary based on whether the student chooses Higer Level or Standard Level and A (studio focus) or B (Investigation Book focus).

This year there will be 24 candidates that will sit for the IB Visual Arts examination. I encourage students to focus on a theme/connections in their work. Talk to the student about the potential of their theme as well as ideas that other parents might offer to another student regarding their theme(s). This examination is NOT a competition between students. Either students meet the criteria or not. Please, if you have any thoughts to offer these students, I welcome you!