PROCESS PORTFOLIO

External Assessment: 40% | DP Visual Art | Lauren Robles

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TASK OBJECTIVES (DP Guide) Students at SL and HL submit carefully selected materials which demonstrate their experimentation, exploration, manipulation and refinement of a variety of visual arts activities during the two-year course. The work, which may be extracted from their visual arts journal and other sketch books, notebooks, folios and so on, should have led to the creation of both resolved and unresolved works. The selected process portfolio work should show evidence of their technical accomplishment during the visual arts course and an understanding of the use of materials, ideas and practices appropriate to visual communication. They should be carefully selected to match the requirements of the assessment criteria at the highest possible level.

The work selected for submission should show how students have explored and worked with a variety of techniques, effects and processes in order to extend their art-making skills base. This will include focused, experimental, developmental, observational, skill-based, reflective, imaginative and creative experiments which may have led to refined outcomes.

TASK DETAILS (DP Guide) Students at SL and HL should:

• explore and work with a variety of techniques, technologies, effects and processes in order to extend their skills base, making independent decisions about the choices of media, form and purpose that are appropriate to their intentions

• reflect on their own processes as well as learning about the processes of experimenting, exploring, manipulating and refining the use of media in a variety of ways

• develop a body of work that evidences investigation, development of ideas and artworks and demonstrates a synthesis of ideas and media.

ART MAKING FORMS (DP Guide) For SL students the submitted work must be in at least two art-making forms, each from separate columns of the table below. For HL students the submitted work must have been created in at least three art-making forms, selected from a minimum of two columns of the art-making forms table below. The examples given are for guidance only and are not intended to represent a definitive list.

PROCESS PORTFOLIO

External Assessment: 40% | DP Visual Art | Lauren Robles

! Submitted work might well include experiments undertaken during (and reflections upon) taster sessions in particular media, demonstrations of techniques, workshops, master classes, guided experimentation and studio practice experienced as part of the core syllabus activities outlined above.

STRUCTURING THE PROCESS PORTFOLIO (DP Guide) Students will have pursued their own interests, ideas and strengths, and their submitted work should highlight the key milestones in this journey. The submission may come from scanned pages, photographs or digital files. The process portfolio screens may take a variety of forms, such as sketches, images, digital drawings, photographs or text. While there is no limit to the number of items students may wish to include on each screen, students should be reminded that overcrowded or illegible materials may result in examiners being unable to interpret and understand their intentions.

The selected screens should evidence a sustained inquiry into the techniques the student has used for making art, the way in which they have experimented, explored, manipulated and refined materials, technologies and techniques and how these have been applied to developing work. Students should show where they have made independent decisions about the choices of media, form and purpose that are appropriate to their intentions. The portfolio should communicate their investigation, development of ideas and artworks and evidence a synthesis of ideas and media. This process will have inevitably resulted in both resolved and unresolved artworks and candidates should consider their successes and failures as equally valuable learning experiences.

Examiners are looking to reward evidence of the following: • sustained experimentation and manipulation of a variety of media and techniques and an ability to select art-making

materials and media appropriate to stated intentions • sustained working that has been informed by critical investigation of artists, artworks and artistic genres and

evidence of how these have influenced and impacted own practice • how initial ideas and intentions have been formed and how connections have been made between skills, chosen

media and ideas • how ideas, skills, processes and techniques are reviewed and refined along with reflection on the acquisition of skills

and analysis of development as a visual artist • how the submitted screens are clearly and coherently presented with competent and consistent use of appropriate

subject-specific language.

PROCESS PORTFOLIO

External Assessment: 40% | DP Visual Art | Lauren Robles

DOCUMENTING PROCESS (InThinking) Making art is a continuously changing and evolving process. Its a good idea to get in the habit of photographing work at different stages throughout the process. This documentation can then be used as material for the Process Portfolio Especially when you are being asked to create process screens that not only include journal pages but also show the development of studio work, the failures, the changes, the whole messy process of art making! Document work at each significant stage of development of a studio work, when adding new materials, before reworking a piece that you consider a “failure,” when work is ephemeral by nature of subject to change, when setting up an installation.

FORMAT OPTIONS (InThinking) The Process Portfolio requirement will be viewed on screen so it follows that using a landscape format will facilitate viewing for the examiner. There are no set specifications as to format so let's assume this ambiguity works to our advantage. The general consensus is it's up to each student and will vary from school to school or even among students in the same school. Create it on paper or on screen? Both options are acceptable, as are combinations. Many teachers ( myself included) value the handcrafted feel of good old fashioned paper collage. Students can assemble their various pieces of visual and written work from the Visual Journal and from media experiments, other process documentation, unresolved studio work or work not included in the exhibition, sketches and loose drawings, photos, typed commentary, and paste it into an A3 page ( a larger page allows for more material and greater freedom), photograph it and use as a “screen". Those who want to continue to use the journal format can simply scan or photograph the page desired and, in a power point or word doc, add some annotation on the side, and covert to a pdf, looking something like this:screen 1 and 2 are journal pages on the left with annotations on the right. The preferred option for many is to use a combination of journal scans, photos and typed text. The advantage of composing digitally is you can play with various layouts, favour some images over others, fit more in, vary sizes etc. Remember that work presented for the final exhibition cannot be included in its final, resolved state in the PP. Any images of unresolved works, the work in progress or other related works is fine.

FORMAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE TASK - SL (DP Guide) SL students submit 9–18 screens which evidence their sustained experimentation, exploration, manipulation and refinement of a variety of art-making activities. For SL students the submitted work must be in at least two art-making forms, each from separate columns of the art-making forms table.

FORMAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE TASK - HL (DP Guide) HL students submit 13–25 screens which evidence their sustained experimentation, exploration, manipulation and refinement of a variety of art-making activities. For HL students the submitted work must have been created in at least three art-making forms, selected from a minimum of two columns of the art-making forms table.

PROCESS PORTFOLIO

External Assessment: 40% | DP Visual Art | Lauren Robles

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA (DP Guide) Summary

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A. Skills, techniques, processes Using the required number of art-making forms from the art-making forms table to what extent does the work demonstrate sustained experimentation and manipulation of a range of skills, techniques, and processes, showing the ability to select and use materials appropriate to their intentions? Candidates who do not submit works reflecting the minimum number of media and forms will not be awarded a mark higher than 3 in this criterion.

! ASSESSMENT CRITERIA CLARIFICATION (IB) In this criterion examiners are looking for evidence of an art-making practice that reflects sustained or continual experimentation and the purposeful manipulation of a range of techniques and processes; candidates are required to demonstrate their ability to select and use materials, techniques and processes that are appropriate to their intentions using the required number of art-making forms from the table on page 20 in the Visual arts

PROCESS PORTFOLIO

External Assessment: 40% | DP Visual Art | Lauren Robles

guide – First examinations 2016. The Visual arts guide specifically states that candidates who fail to submit works reflecting the minimum number of art-making forms required for the level will not be awarded a mark higher than 3 for criterion A. The word “incoherent” is used to describe weaker process portfolios in the 1-3 level. In this context, a process portfolio might be considered incoherent when a candidate fails to justify the choice of media, materials and/or technique to realise any stated intention for an artwork. Experimentation might lack direction and purpose; the documentation and/or articulation of the artistic processes might be incomplete or of a poor standard. The phrase “assured and sustained” in the 10-12 level refers to the candidate’s ability to articulate a confident, competent and purposeful artmaking practice which directs him or her to undertake ongoing experimentation and manipulation of a range of materials and techniques. Examiners are also looking for evidence of consistent refinement of the artwork and of further developments that show that the candidate extended and challenged his or her own abilities.

B. Critical investigation To what extent does the work demonstrate critical investigation of artists, artworks, and artistic genres, communicating the student’s growing awareness of how this investigation influences and impacts upon their own developing art-making practices and intentions.

! ASSESSMENT CRITERIA CLARIFICATION (IB) Unlike the comparative study, the process portfolio is not a formalised study into artists from a range of cultural contexts, rather it encourages students to engage critically with the work of other artists to help inform their own artmaking practice. Candidates are encouraged to consider artworks with common material, technical or conceptual concerns to their own studio practice and employ in-depth critical analysis to help solve material, technical or conceptual problems emerging in their own artmaking. Criterion B in the process portfolio is formative in nature, and requires students to engage critically with the work of other artists as they engage in studio practice to inform and enrich their artmaking. Background biographical or cultural information has little or no relevance to this criterion. In order to fully match the descriptors for this criterion candidates may have to rely upon some bibliographic sources of information, but it must be noted that while in the previous visual arts course the assessment criteria were rewarding the quality of referencing, now this is dealt with as a more general matter of academic honesty. The criterion B focuses on the quality of the critical investigation and examiners are looking for evidence of candidates being aware of the impact that the critical investigation had on their artistic practice.

C. Communication of ideas and intentions (in both visual and written forms) Using the required number of art-making forms from the art-making forms table, to what extent does the student demonstrate the ability to clearly articulate how their initial ideas and intention have been formed and developed and how they have assimilated technical skills, chosen media, and ideas to develop their work further?

PROCESS PORTFOLIO

External Assessment: 40% | DP Visual Art | Lauren Robles

! ASSESSMENT CRITERIA CLARIFICATION (IB) In this criterion examiners are looking for evidence of the candidate’s ability to clearly articulate how their initial ideas and intentions have been formed and developed, and to communicate how they have assimilated technical skills, chosen media and ideas to develop their work further. The phrase “but with room for further depth” in the 3-4 level descriptor implies that the work attempts to identify how initial ideas and intentions have been formed and developed, but this is underdeveloped, or not developed as expected in the 5-6 level. The work begins to communicate how technical skills, media and ideas have been assimilated, but, at times, lack sufficient detail/depth or sophistication.

D. Reviewing, refining and reflecting (in both visual and written forms) To what extent does the work demonstrate the ability to review and refine selected ideas, skills, processes, and techniques, and to reflect on the acquisition of skills and their development as a visual artist?

! ASSESSMENT CRITERIA CLARIFICATION (IB) In this criterion examiners are looking for evidence of candidates’ ability to review and refine selected ideas, skills, processes and techniques, and to reflect on the acquisition of skills and their development as a visual artist. Again, the phrase “but with room for further depth” is used in the 3-4 level descriptor. For this criterion this phrase implies that the work demonstrates a process of reviewing and refining ideas, skills, processes and techniques, but this is underdeveloped. The work presents some reflections upon the acquisition of skills as an artist, but at times, lacking in sufficient detail/depth or sophistication. The phrase “highly effective” is used to describe stronger process portfolios in the 5-6 level. A process portfolio might

PROCESS PORTFOLIO

External Assessment: 40% | DP Visual Art | Lauren Robles

be considered highly effective when an ongoing process of reviewing and refining ideas, skills, processes and techniques is evident and when there is evidence that the successes and failures in previous work inform and enriche subsequent work. The phrase “meaningful and assured” is used in the 5-6 level descriptor. A process portfolio might be considered to demonstrate a “meaningful and assured” reflection if the candidate considers all aspects of his or her artmaking practice including skills, ideas, techniques and processes, and makes realistic and considered evaluation of success and failures that reflect a developed level of discernment.

E. Presentation and subject-specific language To what extent does the work ensure that information is conveyed clearly and coherently in a visually appropriate and legible manner, supported by the consistent use of appropriate subject-specific language?

! ASSESSMENT CRITERIA CLARIFICATION (IB) In this criterion examiners are looking for evidence that the information is conveyed clearly and coherently in a visually appropriate and legible manner, supported by the consistent use of appropriate subject-specific language. The phrase “visually appropriate, legible and engaging” is used to describe stronger process portfolios in the 3-4 level. This refers to process portfolios that show a good balance of text and visuals. The screens are not just formal text, nor unannotated images. Screens are content rich without being overcrowded. Layout is clear and considered. Content is coherent. Presentation overall is creative and engaging, without being fussy or over-embellished. The words “accurately and appropriately” are used with reference to the use of subject-specific language in the 3-4 level descriptor. This refers to candidates confidently and consistently using appropriate subject-specific terminology when required and demonstrating a fluency with the metalanguage of visual arts.

F. Making connections to own art-making practice To what extent does the work analyse and reflect on the outcomes of the comparative study investigation and on how this has influenced the student’s own development as an artist, identifying connections between one or more of the selected works and the student’s own art-making processes and practices?

PROCESS PORTFOLIO

External Assessment: 40% | DP Visual Art | Lauren Robles

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ACADEMIC HONESTY (DP Guide) Every image used within the process portfolio must be appropriately referenced to acknowledge the title, artist, date (where this information is known) and the source, following the protocol of the referencing style chosen by the school. Students must ensure their own original work is identified and acknowledged in the same way to ensure examiners are clear about the origins of the materials. When the student is aware that another person’s work, ideas or images have influenced their conceptual or developmental work but it has not been referred to directly in their work, the source must be included as a bibliography reference within the submitted portfolio screens. The submitted screens must not include any resolved works submitted for part 3: exhibition assessment task.