FIS Upper School Visual Arts Department

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.

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

Visual Arts at FIS: A Tradition and a Philosophy

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. Our recent four 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 IB Visual Arts Results Scrutinized

In an effort to improve our performance, the Visual Arts department at FIS has undertaken a study and analysis of its students' results in the IB exam over the past nine years, from 2000 to 2009. With the aim of understanding how such variables as class size, instructor and number of Higher and Standard level students affect our outcomes, we have patiently assembled some data that might help us to formulate approaches towardbetter results in the course.

For a more comprehensive look at this study and some of its outcomes, go to our Art Curriculum Review page and read up on what we've discovered and in what directions this might guide us in our efforts for future Visual Arts students at the IB level in FIS or just click here.

Continuing With an Effective Approach to Mock Exams

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 2009. The purpose of these "Mock Exams" was twofold: First, the students got 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 revealed 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. In the past another FIS art teacher examined the work of our senior students. Now we have taken it a step further. And it has proven highly successful. We bring in highly experienced and highly qualified IB art teachers from neighboring international schools, such as Berlin, Luxembourg, Weimar and Stuttgart. It is these visiting IB art instructors who give us a more objective and candid account of our students' progress.

This relatively new FIS practice has us bringing in qualified IB art instructors from other well-established IB schools to examine our students. We pay for their room and board and they benefit from the experience in many ways. It is something that we hope other IB art teachers around our European area might consider doing. Let us know if you an IB teacher and are interested in visiting in this capacity.

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, Yvonne Murray, FIS IB Art Instructor (middle) poses with Katja Milker (left) and Andrew Fletcher (right), our guest Mock Examiners in Visual Arts this year. They did a superb job for us! Thanks Katja and Andrew!!

Ms. Murray's Grade 9 art delivers Primary School Mural project

Following a special request from the Primary School for a large and colorful artwork to grace the hallway leading to their gymnaisum, Ms. Murray's Grade 9 classes worked for nearly three months to execute an elaborate, 44-panel visual lesson in complimentary colors.

On Tuesday, 24 June, the last day of classes, Ms. Murray and her dedicated Grade 9 artists formally presented their finished mural panels to the school and then, in a vast procession of vivid color, paraded the work through the woods and up to the Primary School, where Ms. Teresa Dupre, the Primary principal, recieved it in the hallway where it will hang. Well done, Grade 9!

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Video as an Art Form at FIS

More and more students enrolled in the IB Diploma Level Visual Arts program at FIS are choosing digital video as a medium of artistic expression - and meeting with success. The class of 2007 featured one caqndidate who made video her exclusive medium of choice and scored well on her final High Level exam. More information on the burgeoning video art program and a sample of one of our IB studentss video artwork at FIS on the Student Art Work page.

Look for news and updates regarding the upcoming Student Video/Filmmaking Workshop being hosted by FIS this January and Feburary! For more information, contact us directly by clicking the email link at the bottom left of this page.

The IB Visual Arts/Music Exhibition 2010

An annual event, the IB Visual Arts Exhibition has become an important part of FIS culture, marking the opening of the exam period for the current senior class and the beginning of the end of another successful school year for all. This year's exhibition featured works from both IB Visual Arts and IB Music students. 16 artists and 5 musicians put their works on display for over 150 supporters on Friday evening, 19 March 2010 in the Arts, Science & Tech center at FIS. A superb evening for all!

For more info, please go to the Student Art Work page.

And congratulations, graduating Visual Arts and Music candidates of 2010!

FIS IB Diploma Art Students spend a day at the MMK: Visual Arts meets TOK

The annual outing of the IB students (grades 11 and 12) to visit the great art museums of Frankfurt continued with the 2009 IB class trip to the Museum fur Moderne Kunst (MMK) on 23 October 2009. 34 students in the IB art classes led by Mr. Trebel and Ms. Murray, enjoyed a fine day of intensive contextual and critical research in one of Europe's premier venues for the exhibition of contemporary art. In the MMK, the students were introduced to the film, video and painted works of the artist Jack Goldstein. They also prowled the galleries taking in Minimalist works by Fred Sandbach, Donald Judd and Blinkey Palermo. Videos by Sarah Morris and Bruce Naumann provided additional material upon which to reflect. Jewels of the permanent collection from Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and David Hockney were also on the tour. The students spent the last hour of their day in the museum discussing problems of knowledge associated with the Visual Arts, as the video above shows. An excellent day abroad, learning about art by taking in some of the more challenging works of late twenthieth century artists. For a slide show, click here.

A brief, 3-minute video of our experience in the Museum fur Moderne Kunst (MMK)

Katharina and Maxine, IB2 Visual Arts students at FIS, stroll through the Goldstein exhibit in Frankfurt during our tour. Click on the image for a slide show of our visit.

For information on the MMK Frankfurt and the Jack Goldstein exhibit, click the link below.

mmk.frankfurt.de