Art

The aim of De La Salle’s Art Department is to develop imagination, creativity, independence and resourcefulness in our pupils through the teaching and learning of a wide variety of practical and academic skills in the areas of art, craft, design and the history and appreciation of art. Our pupils have access to a range of Arts and Crafts media and there are unlimited opportunities to discover their potential in this subject. We prepare our pupils to embark on the multi-faceted career

opportunities offered through engagement with Art, Craft and Design studies. We aim to foster a lifelong appreciation of art and visual culture through practical art making and creativity and also through the study of art history. Pupils are encouraged to visit galleries, museums and to develop an awareness and enjoyment of the visual world around them.

New Art Block

We are delighted to announce that our newly refurbished Arts Block will be ready for our students in September. This is a beautiful space filled with natural light, an open plan layout with plenty of storage. We have a ‘Ceramic’ space, which encompasses a kiln, a Belfast sink, tiled area and is fully stocked with all relevant materials required for clay work/ceramics. We are so excited to share this fantastic, brand new build with our students. We have a fully stocked room with a wide range of materials, offering our students a plethora of creative disciplines to explore. It is a fantastic, specifically designed space to encourage, maximise and realise our students’ creative potential.

At Junior Cycle

The Junior Cert Art Craft Design course is project based. Pupils will learn key skills in drawing and painting through investigation and observation of the world around them and through imaginative work. They will learn a variety of new crafts including ceramics, batik, printmaking, textiles and puppetry and will have access to a wide range of drawing and painting and 3-D media. They will be introduced to art history and will learn to make links between their own work and that of other artists, designers and craft workers. They will learn how to work independently and be self motivated. They will also develop skills in time management and planning through individual, self led project work. Pupils are encouraged from first year to develop self awareness and critical thinking through assessment of their own work and group work.

Types of Projects/Assessment

Classroom based assessment 1 (Jan-May, 2nd year) - common level
Classroom based assessment 2 (September- December, 3rd year) - common level
Final SEC Assessment (December – May, 3rd year)

In January of 2nd year, students will be starting CBA 1 ‘From Process to Realisation’ and this will run over a 6-8 week period.

In September of 3rd year, students will be starting CBA 2 ‘Communicate and Reflect’ and this will run to December when students will be starting the Final SEC Assessment brief.

CBA ‘s are assessed by the students’ teachers and reported on to students, parents/guardians.

The students’ work presented at the end of the CBA will be awarded a descriptor by the Art teacher. This will appear on each student's “Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement”, issued by the State Examinations Commission. Work will be assessed against a list of “Features of Quality” and the work will be graded as follows:

-Exceptional

-Above expectations

-In line with expectations

-Yet to meet expectations

What will students be doing in the two Classroom Based Assessments?

As part of Classroom-Based Assessment 1, students will:

Choose their initial theme and appropriate primary resources
Research and explore their ideas
Consider the Visual Art strand through which they will primarily generate their realised work
Further develop their ideas for their realised work
Record all work and annotations in their Visual Art sketchpad
Incorporate the elements of Visual Art throughout their work
Complete their realised work
Reflect on their decisions, process, and realised work

*The work for CBA 1 should be realised through one of the three Visual Art strands i.e. Art, Craft or Design.

As part of Classroom-Based Assessment 2, students will:

Interpret the theme(s)
Indicate the two Visual Art strands through which they will primarily generate their realised works
Research and explore their initial ideas
Engage with their elements of Visual Art
Record all their work and annotations in their Visual Art sketchpad
Curate and present their initial ideas to their teacher and peers
Record and reflect on the feedback received from their teacher and peers

*The work for CBA 2 should be realised through the two remaining strands and one must be 3-dimensional.

Transition Year Programme

A number of creative options are offered in Transition Year. Art, Craft and Ceramics are offered as modular courses by the Art department. These courses offer pupils who are encountering arts and crafts for the first time an opportunity to develop their creative skills. It also offers an opportunity to test their aptitude for the subject before considering it for Leaving Certificate. Pupils who studied Art for Junior Cycle find that these courses offer the freedom to explore new skills and media without the constraints of an examination curriculum.

Personal skills developed through the Transition Year Art programmes include teamwork, imagination and creativity, problem solving, self-motivation, and organization.

Art and Craft skills developed in Transition Year include Ceramics/Pottery, Drawing, Painting,Print-making, Batik, Graphic Design, and Art Appreciation.