Visual Art Learning Journey
Junior Cycle Visual Art encourages students to:
- Develop self-confidence, inquisitiveness, imagination and creativity
- Explore and develop their own ideas and to find personal expression through art, craft and design
- Use, research and experiment with a variety of traditional, contemporary, digital or new media
- Expand their knowledge and understanding of a range of Visual Art processes, skills and techniques
- Develop the visual literacy, critical skills and language necessary to engage with contemporary culture
- Look at, respond to and evaluate their own artwork and the artwork of others
- Engage with authentic, real-world problem solving scenarios
- Develop the knowledge, skills and understanding necessary to realise authentic artwork
Strands and Elements
Students will experience Visual Art through the interconnected strands of art, craft and design and five elements which include; (i) critical and visual language, (ii) drawing, (iii) visual culture and appreciation, (iv) art elements and design principles and (v) media.
Art, or fine art, is the expression of creative skill in a visual form. It emphasises ideas, feelings and visual qualities through imaginative and/or technical skill. Apart from the creation of artworks, fine art also encompasses the study of art through appreciation and critical discussion.
Craft is the application of a range of particular artistic skills and knowledge to produce artefacts of aesthetic worth. With an emphasis on processes and materials, the artefacts created may represent either traditional crafts or a more individual approach by the craftsperson.
Design is the process of planning, problem-solving and creating. It can be a response to a brief, a need or a situation. Emphasising the process of planning, problem-solving and completion, with drawing as a means of thinking, formal visual elements and imagery are used to communicate messages and ideas.
Visual Art Sketchpad
Evidence of student learning across the three years of junior cycle will be captured in a Visual Art Sketchpad. The Visual Art sketchpad is a collection of ideas, processes and work, in physical or digital form (or a combination of both). A student’s Visual Art sketchpad will be used by them to:
- Record their approaches to all of the work they will undertake
- Capture their ideas, creativity, experiments and explorations, including realised work
- Hold information to contextualise their work
- Document ongoing classroom artwork, finished artworks as well as the Classroom-Based Assessments
- Develop ownership
Visual Art Overview
Year 1
- Students develop knowledge, understanding, values and skills in Visual Art
- Laying down the groundwork in formative Assessment
- Use Visual Art Sketchpad to show evidence of learning
Year 2
- Continue developing knowledge, understanding, values and skills in Visual Art
- Use Visual Art Sketchpad to show evidence of learning
- Term 2 - CBA 1 (From Process to Realisation)
- Completed by students either individually or in groups.
- Students choose one scenario (a combination of a theme and a strand) from a list issued by NCCA and are required to realise a piece of work primarily through one of the Visual Art strands.
- However, students may incorporate aspects of other strands as appropriate for their work.
- Students use their Visual Art sketchpad to research initial ideas, develop their work and reflect on their progress while incorporating the five elements of junior cycle Visual Art.
- Students complete and present their realised work and accompanying Visual Art sketchpad.
- Reported in JCPA at the end of year 3, using Descriptors
Year 3
- Use Visual Art Sketchpad to show evidence of learning
- Term 1 - CBA 2 (Communicate and Reflect)
- Completed by students on an individual basis.
- Students choose one scenario (a combination of a theme and a strand) from a brief issued by SEC. The brief, will of necessity serve as the brief for CBA2, will be made available annually by the SEC to students at the beginning of their third year of junior cycle.
- Students use their Visual Art sketchpad to research initial ideas and develop these while incorporating the five elements of junior cycle Visual Art.
- Students will use the material from their Visual Art sketchpad to share, through a presentation or discussion, what their initial thoughts, ideas and experiments are and how they might shape their work for this second CBA.
- Reported in JCPA at the end of year 3, using Descriptors
- Term 2 & 3 - based on analyses and reflection on feedback received from CBA 2, students significantly develop their ideas further and realise two artefacts for the State Examination Commission (SEC)
- To aid in their reflections of both their ideas and work students will submit a Communicate and Reflect Form.
- This work will be marked by the State Examinations Commission (SEC). There is no Assessment Task or final drawing examination.