Secondary students studying art at the Gubei Campus have been busy inside and outside the classroom recently. At the start of the week, students in Year 8 visited the beautiful water town of Zhu Jia Jiao to explore the landscape; they visited gardens, explored the quaint alleyways, and went on a boat trip, photographing and drawing all they saw in an attempt to collect primary research for an upcoming project. In art, it is essential to learn through experience, and what better experience than to explore Shanghai’s history and culture, escaping the tall skyscrapers of Shanghai for a day and examining scenic locations and ancient buildings.

Mr Mark Montgomery, the Artist-in-Residence of the Gubei and Hongqiao campuses, joined the trip and offered students his advice as they sketched. He says, “When drawing, I tell students not to focus so much on the details at first. It’s about capturing the big picture and then building the work from there. The trip was a wonderful opportunity for me to interact with the students and to help hone their art skills.”

As part of a two-day excursion, Year 12 IB Visual Art students visited the former British Concession near West Nanjing Road, where they toured with a well-known, local photographer, Wang Gangfeng. Students saw the past through the eyes of the present, visiting the home of a retired judge, seeing and discussing the architecture of the historic buildings, and visiting the homes of several local workers and their families, as well as a working photographer’s studio, taking photos all the way along. It was an eye-opening tour through the heart of our city, Shanghai.

During day two, the students were taken to explore the works of artist Cai Guoqiang at the Powerstation of Art in Shanghai. Famously, he uses fireworks and gunpowder to create artwork of monumental scale and theme. The students were asked to explore his process and question the ethics of his art and approach, placing it into historical and cultural context. Mr Martin Cockram, Head of Visual Arts at the Gubei Campus, organised the art trip for the IB students. He says, “It was an inspiring day that will no doubt positively impact our students’ artwork and future outcomes in the IB Visual Arts course.”

Art is a fundamental part of the holistic education that YCIS provides for all its students, aged 2-18. To learn more about the Arts programme at YCIS, click here.