Class Acts
Students hone their artistry in IB program
Provocative, colorful and technically adept, the artworks now on display at the Sacramento County Office of Education show a sense of sophistication and assurance that many experienced artists might envy.
But they were created by burgeoning new talents—teenage students in the International Baccalaureate Program at Mira Loma High School in the San Juan Unified School District. Among other requirements, these young artists must exhibit 12 original pieces that demonstrate both their growth and creativity. The works exhibited at the Sacramento COE include some of the best submissions from students who completed the two-year program last spring—most of them seniors in the class of 2007.
Their former classmates, just now entering their final year of IB art study, exhibited their own work recently at the American Arts Festival in Sacramento. Mira Loma students won best-of-show honors and other awards.
Mira Loma is among some 2,000 schools internationally that are certified to offer International Baccalaureate courses. The IB program is an honors curriculum that originated in England during the 1960s to promote intercultural understanding and prepare students for advanced university study. About 500 Mira Loma students participate in the program which, in addition to visual arts, offers students opportunities to specialize in subjects like biology, English, mathematics, history, various foreign languages and music.
During their first year of artistic study, IB art students focus on analysis and research and begin developing themes that will guide their work as more advanced artists.
“My art has progressed a lot since I first started,” says Tad Ochwat, a Mira Loma senior in his second year of IB art study. Ochwat says he’s interested in the tension between “structure versus individualism and freedom of expression.” His “City Plan” canvas was included in the American Arts Festival show.
Ochwat, who has already completed IB exams in mathematics and anthropology, is also enrolled in IB economics and English this year.
“IB classes are a totally engaging experience,” he says. “You’re surrounded by kids who love what they’re doing and are interested in what the teacher has to say. These teachers give you guidance and the freedom to dive right in.”
Ochwat and other second-year IB artists keep detailed notebooks filled with sketches, ideas for new pieces and extensive research on individual artists and their respective cultures. Sarah Spezia, a 2008 senior, researched Cambodian history and culture for a piece last year that focused on the murderous Khmer Rouge.
For their final exams next spring, students will send 20 pages of their best artistic analysis and research as well as images of their 12 exhibit pieces to international evaluators for review. (The portfolios went to Hong Kong for evaluation last year.) Students also take written and oral examinations and meet individually with an evaluator to discuss their progress.
Maureen Gemma, the Sacramento COE arts coordinator who arranged the Mira Loma exhibit, says the show has received raves from viewers as well as inquiries from potential buyers. “People have been inspired by the quality and technical ability displayed in these works,” she says.
Gemma is a huge fan of the IB program. As former arts coordinator in the San Juan district, she had the opportunity to attend national IB arts conferences that included program descriptions and samples of student work from all over the country.
“It was incredibly amazing,” she says of the various IB arts emphasis programs offered in American schools, “the epitome of what you want an arts education program to be. The extent, breadth and depth of the artistic inquiry were awesome.”
This is the first time the county office has exhibited works from Mira Loma student IB portfolios, but Mira Loma art teacher Allison Stiles hopes it will become an annual show.
“Our students produce some absolutely stunning work,” Stiles says. “I love this program.”
Stiles firmly believes that besides artistic excellence, her IB students acquire new intellectual and emotional skills. “Study of the visual arts allows students to discover ways in which to interpret and comment critically on the human condition,” she says. ”Furthermore, the inspiration engendered by artistic activity can become a driving force in other studies and throughout life.”
—Carol Brydolf