The subject of Art has a special significance in all grade levels at our school, since the curricularly anchored use of the Visual Journal from grades 1 to 13 ensures a continuous interdisciplinary competence not only in the practical art field, but also in the linguistic-reflexive and aesthetic-investigative field. In the Visual Journal, artistic learning processes are documented and reflected on in an illustrative and verbal way, work results are analyzed and evaluated in a cultural context.
Classes are therefore held for two hours per week from grades 1 to 10; basic and optional elective courses are offered in the orientation level, basic and advanced courses in the upper level, IB Visual Arts in standard and higher level. An additional artistic-aesthetic support is offered from grade 5 on (Workshop/Art Club) and from grade 7 on in the Elective Art Courses. The Excellency Program was installed to promote the talent of individual pupils. The Open Art Studio takes place on weekends every six to eight weeks and is attended predominantly by high school students who enjoy additional creative work opportunities over a period of about five hour units. Regular excursions to extracurricular cultural learning venues enrich the students' horizons of experience and open up opportunities for productive interaction with museum pedagogy and art reception by creating material for aesthetic research and practical work on site and working as live speakers in exhibitions. In grades 9 and 10, two pupils teach an individually planned double lesson of art in the primary school, adapted to the respective learning group. High school students are sent as visual journalists to other schools in the region to implement the format of aesthetic research with the Visual Journal.
Practical artwork plays an essential role at the Nelson Mandela School; art is understood as a universal language beyond all linguistic barriers. The painterly, graphic, creative, sculptural and digital works open up a speedy integration of all pupils in different social scenarios. The self-responsible and self-organized work finds its fulfillment especially in the student-friendly design of the art spaces and in the open door concept.
The Department of Art cultivates various partnerships - for example a cultural partnership with the Bauhaus Archive, close cooperation with AEDES (architectural forum), continuous projects of all grades with the regional Public Art School of the district, intercultural lectures by artists such as Andrea Scrima, Deenesh Ghyzhy, Jim Avignon, etc. In addition, student interns are regularly trained during their practical semester through cooperation with the Berlin University of Fine Arts
Florentine Baumann officially acts as head of the art department since 2009.
- Internal curriculum for years 7-13 (in German)
- Visual journal concept (in German)
- Evaluation in art (in German)