Tutorial House
In the Tutorial House, students are required to complete one year of credit for graduation and are given choices in courses. Students that are strong in drawing and are considering entering the IB Art program are encouraged to take the advanced drawing class. Other students may choose between courses in more traditional art media and computer graphics. Photography is offered as a non-credit course in the after-school program.
In the two-year International Baccalaureate program, students work with considerable independence on portfolios that form the beginning of a personal artistic direction. Extensive investigation into artistic traditions that are directly relevant to a student’s direction is required. Aesthetic education, cultural and historical contexts and gallery visits become an important part of this process. At the end of the two years, students present their work for examination by an outside examiner who comes to UNIS to look at the students’ exhibitions and investigation workbooks.
Breakdown by Grade
Tutorial One and Tutorial Two students in Art Dimensions work on projects and sketchbook investigation in drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and basic computer graphics. This course advances skills learned in Middle School and provides some opportunity for more independent work. In Advanced Drawing, selected students learn more traditional observation and interpretation drawing skills that help prepare them for the IB program and possible art school applications. In Web/ Digital Design, students learn design concepts as they are applied to computer graphics and ways of using digital technology for communication.
Tutorial Three and Tutorial Four students in IB Art learn how to be independent artists over a period of one and a half years. The culmination of the program is an exhibition within the school of the progress and direction of a student’s studio work and personal investigations. The IB exhibitions are set up in the UNIS lobby and hallways after spring break and are reviewed by an experienced IB examiner. For the past two years our examiner has been a Professor of Fine Arts at The School of Visual Arts as well as an actively exhibiting painter.
After a semester of guided course work and an introduction to the investigation workbook, students begin independent projects that lead into their own development as artists. They have access to a wide range of media and art forms. Drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture maintain their status as primary means of expression, but increasingly students work in photography, computer graphics, animation, video, installation and occasionally architecture. We take a class trip each semester to museums and galleries in the city, but students are expected to visit museums and galleries on their own and document their responses for their workbooks.
Before the end of March of their Tutorial Four year, IB students need to have approximately twelve to fifteen finished projects, or their equivalent, ready for IB assessment and exhibition. The best students often have more than this. At least one investigation workbook needs to be completed. Standard level students are in the same classes as higher level students, but they meet less often. They both follow the same curriculum. Standard level students are expected to have a similar level of quality in their work, but the quantity of work does not need to be as great, and the assessment scores needed to achieve a summative grade are not as high as the higher level.
Students may also consider taking UNIS Art in Tutorial Three and Special Projects in Tutorial Four. These students are scheduled along with IB students, but they meet less often and have fewer requirements.
A Video Production elective is also offered for Tutorial Three and Tutorial Four students who have completed their art requirement for graduation.
Additional Art Opportunities
There are additional ways that students may become involved in the arts at UNIS. Over the years the Art department has been involved in creating many murals and installations in the New York community. Tutorial House students help develop graphics for the UNIS/UN conference. Middle School and Tutorial House students work on sets for theatrical events that take place during the year. Students are encouraged to submit projects to various national and international organizations. An after-school program offers a range of classes in art, crafts and photography. Interested students are encouraged to participate in the many art classes and special programs offered in the city.