The Art Department

On a recent open day a prospective parent was struck by the palpable feeling that the Department was "an Art School worthy of the name", a place where students are very actively involved in genuine enquiry, challenging activity and sophisticated learning that very much relates to the experience of contemporary art being made in higher education and the art world at large.

"Stowe Art School was the pedestal from which I began an exciting experience in the world of the arts. The genuine academic approach bonded students and teachers alike. Along with the inspirational backdrop of Stowe's grounds, my artistic eye soon developed within these ideal intellectual surroundings."

Harry Darby, Camberwell College of Arts

Aims of the Art School

We believe that the Art School very much represents what Stowe School aims to be, a place where students are enabled to think deeply and to engage in autonomous learning. Students achieve ambitious levels of outcome, high standards at all examination levels and many go on each year to study the subject further at colleges such as St. Martins and Chelsea.

The Art School is aiming wherever possible to work from direct experience and observation. Work should come from the development of concepts that are sustained and sequential as appropriate to age and ability level. We encourage students to have a strong awareness of contemporary practice and be able to place this within a theoretical and historical context.

We develop a culture whereby students can feel confident to discuss and analyse using appropriate vocabulary in seminar situations. We encourage them to thoroughly engage in their work and to take ownership over every aspect of it.

At Stowe, we aim to foster a sense of curiosity and open-mindedness to encounter images that are challenging rather than to seek well-trodden paths.

The Art School offers facilities for a wide range of Fine Art Drawing, Painting, ICT and Printmaking. Students are encouraged to work in an interdisciplinary way that allows them to explore the relationships between these mediums, as well as 2D and 3D disciplines and processes, rather than be limited by the boundaries between them. Great value is placed in the regular Life Drawing classes that we offer for the Sixth Form.

At AS and A2 Levels students work within dedicated personal spaces that help to foster their feeling of creative development and ultimately provide them with excellent opportunities to display their work.

Sketchbooks/Sourcebooks

The importance of the development process in each student's work is emphasised from the outset. This process should reflect the growing understanding that we are looking for in their work, as it develops from simple to more complex concepts, as their technique and handling of materials becomes appropriate to the task. The development process should enable students to understand why a piece of work succeeds and how it can be improved, whilst striving towards excellence. An important function inherent in this process should be that it allows students to gradually refine and focus on different problems in their work, building on successive stages of evaluation ...so that in the final piece of work they can feel more confident of success.

The student's sketchbook is unique, reflecting the way their ideas develop, personal responses, things that interest them about a subject - almost a visual diary.

Used regularly to develop techniques, collect relevant materials to stimulate and develop ideas: fabric, flowers, natural objects, magazine articles and cuttings, pictures of places, postcards of artist's work, etc. it builds to show their development in art and all that it encompasses.

Scholarships

Art Scholarships are available for incoming students at aged 13 and 16. It is vital that the scholarship process should encourage and reward attitudes to learning that will above all set standards for others. We believe that Scholarships should not be rewarded for talent alone but should also take into account an individual's independent potential and ability to maintain an eager, open-minded attitude to learning. It is important that Scholars should consistently achieve high standards during each year, and that this reward is renewable on merit. An annual exhibition of Scholar's work will be held and displayed prominently within the School at large.

Visits and Art Study Tours

Students are provided with opportunities to visit galleries in order to expand their knowledge and awareness of Art. This is an essential part of the GCSE, AS and A2 courses. In past years we have made regular visits to galleries in London including the National gallery, Tate Britain and Tate Modern. In the Sixth Form there are also opportunities to visit New York, to visit the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Art Gallery, the Guggenheim, the Whitney Museum, and the Frick Collection.

GCSE

Art GCSE requires open-mindedness, hard work and dedication. It helps if drawing skills are good and to have a creative mind that likes experimenting and developing ideas. The course spans two years of four periods per week, but to achieve a top grade some spare time will need to be spent in the Art School and work will also need to be completed during the holidays.

Contents

This is an exciting course which guides and supports through a broad range of approaches and techniques. There will be opportunities to explore a variety of mediums and techniques including:

The emphasis will be on recording from direct observation and direct experience in order to analyse or interpret source material. Encouragement is given to develop ideas, personal responses and aesthetic understanding to a high level. The use of sketchbooks is essential to prepare ideas and document the various processes.

A vital and integral part of the course aims to develop knowledge of Fine Art. Contact with artists and visits to galleries will play an important role in helping to make significant connections with the Stoics' own practical work. Projects strongly relate to traditional styles as well as to the thematic arrangement of Tate Modern: Still Life/Object, Landscape/Environment, Human Figure/Portrait. This immediately provides a context and vast range of comparative approaches including concepts of twentieth century art.

Assessment

The course is organised within the requirements of the AQA Examinations Board, consisting of three coursework projects (weighting 60%) and a ten hour practical examination (weighting 40%).

A Level

A qualification in Art at A level will allow you to study a wide range of specialist degree courses from Fine Art and Architecture to Computer Graphics, Fashion and Textiles, Theatre Design and Industrial Design. There are also a large number of courses available that relate to the media industry and Art/Art History is often combined, very successfully, with other courses.

Both at AS and A2 levels the context of the course is broad and flexible giving students the opportunity to explore a wide range of media and techniques. Drawing is fundamental to the A level course and we do expect students to have achieved a high grade at GCSE. If you have not completed an Art GCSE course, or equivalent, we would expect to see a folder of work on interview.

The term 'contextual awareness' is often used in A level teaching and this refers to the knowledge and critical understanding of the work of professional artists and designers and we will explore during the course the way artists respond to the world and how they communicate their ideas. Students are expected to visit art galleries, such as Tate Modern, during the holidays to supplement organised trips in school time. We also organise Art and Art History trips to major cultural art centres.

All students are expected to keep personal sketchbooks and notebooks for the exploration and development of their ideas and the Art School is always open during academic and activity time. The Art School has strong links with the Design Department, which includes Photography and with the Theatre and Drama Department, both for set design and Theatre Studies A-level.

In terms of entry to further education, OCR A level is accepted by all universities as well as Art School Foundation courses, and career guidance, within this area, is a major consideration within the Department. The Art School levies a charge each term to cover the use of specialist materials, books etc.

AS and A2 Art - OCR Examination Board

Students will be required to complete the following modules:-