Kura Tuarua Marautanga
Upper School Curriculum
Te Au ringa toi |
Visual Arts
The teaching of visual art involves guiding students in the exploration and creation of artistic expressions through various mediums such as painting, drawing, sculpture, and digital art. It aims to cultivate creativity, aesthetic appreciation, and technical skills while encouraging personal and cultural interpretations of visual concepts and themes.
Visual Arts Class 8
The fourteenth year is a milestone year in the inner life of young person, there is an increasing realisation – and – assertion – of the individual sense of self, of the uniqueness of one’s own identity. After the breadth of exploration of the world covered in Class 7, the Class 8 year is one of turning towards inwardness, even, at times, self-absorption.
However, in this year, there is still a strong connection to, and care for, the outside world, and the art curriculum builds on this.
At this age, the concreteness of refining skills is important. Practicing accuracy in perception and thinking can continue to help them form a clear relationship with the world around them and their own thinking. The students therefore will continue to study perspective in spatial surroundings and realise their own ideas in drawing.
This can initially be achieved through exercises using frontal perspective with a vanishing point, to draw regular special bodies and architectural forms.
On this secure footing, it is reasonably straight forward to embark on oblique perspective with two vanishing points and shadow work.
We can look for the opportunity to lead strictly logical rules of construction back into the artistic sphere, and thus accommodate the desire of teenagers to express their own ideas in pictorial form.
Apart from perspective drawing, and what lies beyond, we can pursue modelling and drawing, colour contrast studies, lino or wood cut prints and collage.
Visual Arts Class 9
In Class 9, the practical art curriculum, usually taught in practice lessons, compliments the first of two History of Art Main Lessons.
The History of Art Main Lesson in Class 9 is the longest of what are called the main lesson blocks (two hours each day, five days a week), ideally given for five or six weeks (three weeks near the beginning of the school year and three weeks near the end).
The first History of Art Main Lesson includes prehistoric (Palaeolithic) cave art and goes up to the time of Rembrant, not to Modern Art, for the simple reason that grasping what happens in later art requires maturity that usually starts to develop later in the year or in Class 10.
What is covered in the First History of Art Main Lesson, can be the basis of the curriculum content of practical art during the year.
Teaching History of Art from Rembrant to contemporary times should be taught later in Class 9 in preparation for practical art lessons in Classes 10 and 11.
Keynote: Polarities
In Class 9, dramatic changes are still taking place both physically (outwardly) and emotionally (inwardly) for the young people in our care. The multi-faceted Art curriculum acknowledges, meets and works with these dramatic changes in a quite unique and meaningful way. Whilst a wide variety of themes and topics are taken up, as well as a movement towards working with more colour, the continuation of working with shadow and light, still ‘speaks’ to the students.
This aspect of the Art curriculum meets the pupils inwardly, by recognising and utilizing the many shades of grey that live in between the polarities of black and white. The depiction of the three dimensional world comes to life through working with light and dark/shadow.
Practical Assignments or activities that relate to the first History of Art Main Lesson could include the following:
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Stencil relief prints
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Clay modeling
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Iconography
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Perspective drawing and painting
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Portraiture
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Still Lifes
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Black and White printmaking
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Mural painting based on History of Art Themes
Depending on the individual school timetable, These activities could happen as part of the History of Art Main Lessons or make up the content of the practical art lessons throughout the year.
A starting point can be made with recreating the styles and techniques from different eras from art history before moving into how contemporary artists are working with similar skills and considerations..
Notes For Art in Class 9
At the age of fourteen and throughout the high school years truth lights the education of the young person as an omnipresent theme. It is here where the science of aesthetics can be extremely important to introduce.
The adolescent experiences the most dramatic and formative period of her or his life at this time. An incredible physical growth spurt occurs with subsequent physical changes. At the same time the soul is essentially being born.
The study of aesthetics plays a very important part in healthy personal development. Developing one’s own sense of beauty from what one sees that has been created throughout history and in diverse cultures works on one’s own moral-etheric feeling life and ultimately into the physical organism.
The study of art history in Class 9 can have a mediating, even therapeutic, effect on the adolescent by the way it tempers the tendency to coarse brutishness on the one hand and frivolous vanity on the other. As teens explore their range of emotional behaviors, a combination of art history and hands-on artwork help them find their own place of soul balance.
First History of Art Main Lesson:
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The Beginnings of Art
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Paleolithic Cave paintings/drawings
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Venus Figures
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The Art of Mysteries of Ancient Egypt
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The Ancient Art of Greco-Roman
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World Religious Art
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Hindu, Buddist, Dao, Shinto, Zaroastrian, Judaism, Islamic
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European Art from European Art from Renaissance to Rembrant
Second History of Art Main Lesson:
1.Impressionism
2. Expressionism
3. Cubism
4.Surrealism
5.Abstract Expressionism
6.Pop Art
7.Minimalism
This second Main Lesson could be approached in a very practical way with a focus on creating and art-making such as mural p[ainting.
Visual Arts Class 10
In Class 10, the practical art curriculum, usually taught in practice lessons, compliments (if timetable allows), the 2nd of two History of Art Main Lessons. Which covers the history of art from Rembrandt to Contemporary times.
The practice art lessons this year encourage students to practice visual art conventions experienced during this Main Lesson, like linear perspective; work with different genres (landscape, portraiture, still life) and processes (printing, collage, photography). The art curriculum encourages students while still strongly guided, to experiment with materials, drawing and painting techniques (pencil, charcoal, pen, oil, acrylic). The lessons begin to cater for individual pace and start to cater for the discovery and deepening of personal taste and style.
A variety of media, conventions, techniques, processes and experimentation are the desired objectives, along with developing more consciously their artistic sense.
The art classes are designed to develop skills and gain insight into their own creative capacities. By refining their technical skills, intellectual understanding of material and forms, and becoming acquainted with contemporary art practice, students develop a strong relationship to their own creative process and experience themselves as artistically capable in a variety of media.
This work allows the teen to experience freedom in the realm of feelings through which the will is connected to the intellect. The maturing Class 10 student is then able to direct the intellect according to their own inner thought process, bringing their enthusiasm and feeling for a subject into balance with objectivity. This is the budding of free thought.
Keynote: Balance
Balance is the theme for Class 10 and there is a marked development towards greater control and balance in their artwork.There is a marked difference in their perception of visual art and their ability to comprehend and understand basic underlying artistic laws and structures.
Their greater reasoning power can more readily take hold and to understand the visual art phenomena they meet, both on an inner and outer level. The richness of the inner life is more easily able to express itself, allowing for greater subtlety in their visual response to work that is set.
Suggested Process and Assessment:
Class 10 visual art work could be presented as a portfolio of work, made up of planning and preparatory work presented in a visual diary, and finished work, either free hanging or placed, in a physical portfolio. All work then marked and a digital copy made for moderation and resource collecting purposes.
A suggested 30% of marks allocated to working drawings and 70% allocated to finished work.
The number of works completed would depend on size and time allocation, but 5 completed works alongside working drawings would be the minimum expectation or two sides of an A1 sized portfolio.
The choosing of the themes of the artwork needs guidance and continuity between works. These themes could be individually chosen by conferencing with the teacher or might be teacher led.
One assignment leads to the next in a sequential skill and concept based progression. Content could be derived fromo what had been covered in 2nd History of Art Main Lesson, but using contemporary artists as artist models in the genre being explored.
Culturally Responsive Art in Class 10
Our Steiner Schools in Aotearoa/New Zealand include indigenous Māori and learners from diverse cultural and language backgrounds. By building on contemporary cultural knowledge in the arts and students’ own experiences, the arts have the potential to enhance educational outcomes for our diverse student population. The arts can be a vehicle for social change and well being. Through the creation of contemporary cultural knowledge, the arts can contribute to an education that transforms the learning experience by enabling students to draw on contexts that are meaningful to them.
In Class 10, There is now a striving towards the balance between polarities, whether it is in their understanding of New Zealand’s history or cultural differences.
Many students will begin to demonstrate an active imagination and understanding of others. They move gradually from having an unbalanced introspection, to the beginning of awareness and understanding of the inner reality of others, which leads to a balanced perception of the relationship. They can describe and compare the experiences of a range of people from different backgrounds and/or belief systems.
Because of this change in consciousness, Class 10 is a good time to focus on Maori Art.
The content and experiences will depend on the skills and knowledge of the teacher, but should be entrenched in meaning behind motifs used and preferably enriched by the skills and knowledge of local artists in the community in which the art teacher has forged a reciprocal relationship with.
Possible Content of Lessons:
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Kowhaiwhai
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Raranga
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Whakairo
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Tukutuku
Based on historical and contemporary practice
Possible Experiences:
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Marae visits
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Noho
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Visits to exhibitions
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Workshops with ringatoi
This focus could occupy one term of the year. And themes explored could resonate in artwork produced throughout the rest of the art program.
Visual Arts Class 11
Class 11 students have the capacity to become more conscious in their thinking, and content of the art lessons and tasks are directed to this end. In particular, they are able to demonstrate abilities for critical thinking and analysis. They can use logic and reasoning in gathering visual, verbal and written information about art and extrapolating it in order to develop their own unique art style. They enjoy discussing art in general and debating conceptual ideas. They can look beyond the surface and can understand models of artwork created. They should be encouraged to critique the work of professional artists and integrate related techniques and concepts into their own work
The student’s burgeoning ability for Analysis lends itself to exploring the artwork of artists by visiting galleries and studios and work-shopping with local artmakers.
Studies of individual artists' work or schools of artists lead to students choosing what influences they want to take up and use in their own art development and personal style.
There is a focus on involving students in discussions about their own work, the class work as a whole and the work of art movements. They are encouraged to express their ideas and experiences, and to listen to the ideas and experiences of others.
Students will experiment with modern art movement ideas and techniques. They could research a movement of their choice. They will produce a research report, which must include the context, the philosophy or goal and key characteristics of the art movement, and a section of pictures of art from this movement.
Process and Assessment
Class 11 visual art work could be presented as a portfolio of work, made up of planning and preparatory work presented in a visual diary, and finished work, either free hanging or placed into a physical portfolio. All work then marked and a digital copy made for moderation and resource collecting purposes.
An alternative could be to prepare the year's work for an exhibition, either joining in with a group show or being part of a Class 11 exhibition set up for that specific purpose.
A suggested 30% of marks allocated to working drawings and 70% allocated to finished work.
The number of works completed would depend on size and time allocation, but 3 completed works alongside working drawings would be the minimum expectation or two sides of an A1 sized portfolio.
Visual Arts Class 12
This year is the culmination of an education which seeks to produce individuals who will work with a sound understanding of both themselves and the world.
The theme of the twelfth year is balance, synthesis and deep contemplative thought. Throughout all the art lessons the students are encouraged to think. Contrasting themes that require balance and synthesis and stimulate thinking about themes such as dedication/superficiality, honesty/dishonesty, human/divine and the connection between art, religion and science. The students are encouraged to ponder these thoughts during their art lessons, and engage in individual conversations with the teacher in relation to their personal experiences, ideas and contemplations.