Artsmainpage

Here you can acquaint yourself with the art department of the Upper School, grades 6 to 12. You can link to other sites from this page to discover how art is taught, what facilities we enjoy using and what different types of art-learning are happening outside the studios at FIS. You can also get to know our visual arts faculty, see examples of what some of our students have created and view images from past exhibitions.

FIS Art works on building a Digital CRB

The Art Department at FIS has been a digitally-guided team for several years now. We have long recognized the value and the power of the latest digital media as it impacts upon the Visual Arts. Digitally generated imagery, text and video are not only powerful creative tools, they also present invaluable ways of recording what our students accomplish in and out of the studio. We are at the forefront of harnessing the power of the global digital community by exploring ways in which it can be used to record and present the achievements of our senior students who are pursuing the IB Diploma in Visual Arts. The traditional paper booklet, the Candidate Record Booklet (or CRB), has been a reliable record-keeping feature of the IB Visual Arts course for many years. It is a paper document in which all Diploma Level candidates must assemble printed photos of their work, their printed candidate statement and photocopies of the key pages in their sketchbooks. The Head of Visual Arts at FIS, Darren Trebel, has been developing an electronic version of this booklet, which the instructors here hope will contribute to a new era in digital submission of the requirements for the IB Diploma in Art. It's not an easy task and only time will tell. In the end, maybe we'll help save some trees and move the IBO further into the 21st century.

Click the image of the eCRB above left to view a sample of the latest digital Candidate Record Booklet designed by the FIS team for consideration by the IBO.

The IB Diploma Level Visual Arts Exhibition opened on Friday 27 March from 17:00- 19:00. The show features around 300 works by 19 students (FIS’ largest Visual Arts class since 2004) completed over the last two years. The works vary widely in media from digital video, installation works, oil and acrylic paintings, sculpture and assemblage pieces. Nearly 200 people were in attendance as Mark Ulfers, Head of School, opened the show with comments on each student's approach. His comments were followed by remarks by Darren Trebel, Head of Visual Arts, and an excellent speech by High Level Visual Arts student Laura Ramos Tomas on behalf of the IB group. A superb evening!

The students undergo examination by Ron Kim, Head of Visual Arts at the Hilversum International School in Hilversum, Netherlands. The exams will take place 30 March to 1 April. The exhibition will remain on view in the Arts, Sciences & Technology building at FIS until 30 April. For a slide show of the exhibition click here.

For a peek at some of the IB work submitted for this year's exhibition, go to Student Artwork.

Above left: Head of School Mark Ulfers prepares to address the exhibition crowd as our artists gather beside him.

The current class of senior students approaching exams in the Visual Arts this April underwent the rigorous process of simulated exams during the first week of December 2008. The purpose of these "mock exams" is twofold: First, the students get a feel for the actual exam experience - the pressure, the need to articulate clearly what they have accomplished, the interaction with an examiner. Secondly, the mocks reveal deficits or weaknesses which we still have time to address. The students essentially have three months until their actual exam. The mocks at FIS are designed and administered in a manner which gives them the most time to fill the vacancies in their portfolios. Usually another FIS art teacher examines the work of our students.

But this year was very different. See how by going to the Special Events page, where you will find slide shows and a brief video of our Mock Exam experience this year.

For more information on the Mock Exams and how and why they are administered at FIS, please conact the Head of Visual Arts here.

Above left, Florentine Baumann of the Nelson Mandela State International School in Berlin examines the work of Joong-Hyun, one of our IB2 students undergoing mock exams at FIS.

IB Students' Group Portrait Mural ("We all know art is not truth..."), 2.2 x 11 meters, acrylic on wooden panels, 2005.

FIS has always had a very strong and well-supported program in Visual Arts. The level of sophistication and maturity with which our students approach their education in art has always set FIS apart as a leader in International education and as the first choice for Internationally-minded families in the Frankfurt area who recognize the growing role of the visual arts and creativity in a high quality, well-rounded education.

We believe it is important that students develop the creative, intellectual and practical skills necessary to express themselves visually, to understand the visual world in which they live and to appreciate the cultural diversity of humankind. The knowledge gained by participation in art requires a unique awareness developed by study and activity, which enables a student to perceive aesthetically with discrimination and intuition.

To achieve this, the students at FIS learn about art through the examination of artistic production from various cultures and periods of history, by visiting different cultural centers and by meeting artists. They learn by creating art by experiencing the creative process in all its many forms of planning and execution. Finally, they learn through art by cooperative learning, interdisciplinary themes, class room discussion and by presenting their work before others.

It is essential, in a well-rounded approach to art education, to provide opportunities for students at this advanced stage of development to experience as many areas of traditional visual expression as possible. Therefore, we include Drawing, Printing, Sculpture, Printmaking, Textiles, Ceramics, Photography, Digital Film and Video and Technology-aided Design in a program that provides a comprehensive range of experiences throughout the Upper School years. A more detailed look at our curriculum in the Visual Arts by clicking on Curriculum Overview.

Finally, we pride ourselves on the success of our graduating art students, many of whom go on to some of the highest ranked art schools in the world. The 2004 and 2005 graduating classes alone included art students who were accepted for study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Rhode Island School of Design, Parsons School of Design (New York City), Surrey Institute of Art and Design, the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London and the Hong-Ik School of Art in Korea. These, like many before them, carry the long FIS legacy of rigorous art-related training with them as they enter the upper echelon of sophisticated, successful artists and designers worldwide. We wish them, and all of our students (young and old) success.

We sincerely hope that you enjoy this opportunity to get to know us here in the Upper School Art Department at FIS. The site is maintained directly by the Head of the Visual Arts Department and is updated regularly. Your e-mails (links to art@fis on every page) are likewise sent directly to the Head of Visual Arts. So go ahead and click the different links at the top or bottom of these pages for a full tour of the Visual Arts Department, including many Flash slide shows and other surprises!

FIS Upper School Visual Arts Department

Welcome to the Upper School Art Department