Visual Arts Teacher - Ronald Kleijer

Visual Arts Department

Art speaks. Whether it’s a painting of a peaceful landscape, a controversial sculpture, or a simple black-and-white photograph, each piece holds the potential to say much without saying anything at all. The key to hearing art’s voice is learning how to appreciate art’s value.

Not all art is beautiful by everyone’s standards. Not all paintings are peaceful. Sometimes art makes us think and feel and discover things we would rather not explore. That’s the beauty of art; it’s ability to reach across lines and barriers and find an audience, even if it’s a reluctant one.

At Tashkent International School, students are exposed to this incredible world of communication through visual art in ways that help open their eyes and allow them to discover a voice they may not have known they possess.

Through the regular curriculum and out-of-classroom experiences, students are taught an understanding and knowledge of how to properly apply the elements of art and principles of design. From this foundation, students are then shown how to build an appreciation of different conceptual aspects within the field of visual art.

Not only are they shown what art can do, students are given the translation tools to help understand what art is saying. And in the end, they are given the opportunity to find their own voice and the freedom to express it.

Projects & Opportunities

Visual arts students are given several hands-on experiences designed to help them learn, discover and explore.

Art Exhibitions – creating art can be reward in itself but it’s also nice to let others see what you’ve worked so hard on. Visual Arts students have various opportunities to exhibit their masterpieces, including the annual Arts in the Park event in spring and the DP Visual Art Exhibition, which was held for the first time in April 2012. The art exhibition highlighted pieces from seven Diploma Programme students.

Murals – anything can be an artist’s canvas, such as the walls outside the Elementary Library, the exterior of the visual art building or even a stairwell inside the school. Creating “art for the masses” shows students that doing things off the page can be fun, not to mention liberating.

Studio Visits – throughout the year, students in the upper grades are given the chance to visit the studios of local artists and also the studio of their teacher, Ronald Kleijer. Often they are allowed to work side-by-side with these artists.

Appreciation Trips – visiting local art galleries, museums and colleges lets students see a variety of art up close and personal, taking what they learned in the classroom and applying it in real life. Tours are arranged throughout the year, mostly for Diploma Programme students.

Painting Weekend– in the fall, visual art students in the Diploma Programme spend a long weekend in the mountains, drawing, painting and pushing their art experience to the next level.Ceramics Tour – Students in 9^thgrade end their first unit about patterns by visiting a local ceramics studio. The trip allows them to see how a variety of pattern styles are used in art; they also have a chance to try their own hand at ceramic painting.