The role of the arts
The IB programme and therefore our programmes have some unique features. When Alec Peterson, professor of Education at Oxford University first collaborated with educator Kurt Hahn (of Duke of Edinburgh, Outward Bound and United World Colleges fame) to create the IB, Peterson believed that all students should learn 'humankind's main tools of thought'. The rest of the world is still catching up with this idea. So everyone should study maths to 18. You still see national systems trying to catch up with this, and Rishi Sunak's last big push on education before leaving office was to try to achieve that for England. What is talked about less outside the IB, is those 'tools of thought' included the Arts.
The Arts are possibly some of humanity's finest achievements. Before we could write or read, we created beautiful art on cave walls and sculptures like the ice age Venus sculptures of Europe. Art has a unique role in helping us to defamiliarize the world and our experiences, to create new thoughts, feelings and insights and to create objects of beauty or inspiration. I feel like I am still 'new' enough to ISA to comment that the art here is spectacular. Each piece is a way of unpacking and understanding what it is to be human, and what it is to be human at ISA. With the IB Art exhibition this week, and MYP Arts going strong it is a good time to reflect on some of the beautiful art our students create.
A piece that really exemplifies the wonder of art for me is this drawing by Struan Sawyer. It was not for an exam, or assessment, but simply because he felt like drawing something. It is stunning, and from a Grade 10 makes me wonder what the future holds. Watch out Albrecht Dürer, your hands are not safe!
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