Basic education in the arts

Curriculum in Finnish (pdf)

Early childhood studies are intended for children of preschool age. Through play, exploration and wonder, the pupils get acquainted with the basics of visual artistic expression. They practice the use of various equipment and materials as well as equipment maintenance in a versatile manner. Children are encouraged to rejoice in their own and others’ work, and to work in a group with others in mind.

During the first four years of basic education in the arts, the foundation will be laid for a long-term hobby in the visual arts. During the studies, the pupils practice a wide range of basic skills and techniques in image expression. They explore colors, lines and shapes, the environment and space through visual art. During the studies, students draw, paint, shape and build, as well as get acquainted with different printing methods. The pupils practice maintaining materials and equipment as well as working in a group.

The fifth and sixth study years are divided into four periods. The pupil becomes acquainted with different methods of expression in periods of 8-9 weeks. The sections of the fifth year are drawing-painting, ceramics, three-dimensional work and graphics. The sixth-year courses are comics, animation, photography, as well as form and space. In the spring of the sixth grade and from then on, the student chooses the workshop for the next school year each spring according to his own interests.

The student compiles a portfolio of basic studies from the studies completed during the 5th-8th grades. The portfolio is produced annually under supervision during classes and in portfolio workshops held in the spring. At the end of the eighth year, the portfolio is evaluated and the student receives a certificate of completion of basic studies.

Portfolio guide in Finnish (pdf)

A workshop is a period of either a semester or an entire school year in which the student focuses on the method of expression chosen by the student. The workshop deepens previously learned skills and encourages the student to develop their own expression. The options for selectable workshops vary from year to year. The content of the workshops and the instructions for registration are described in the workshop guide distributed in the spring.

Workshop 23-24 in Finnish and Swedish (pdf)

At the final stage of the studies, the student completes the thesis. A thesis is an independent work or series of works that the student plans and implements. The thesis is done in your own workshop group under the guidance of a teacher and independently on your own time. In addition to the work, the student makes a portfolio of the thesis, in which he presents the work and his work process.

The student must be at least 16 years old when starting their thesis and have a portfolio of basic studies completed and evaluated. They must have completed 2-3 years of workshop studies before starting their thesis.

Completing the thesis requires participation in thesis supervision, the construction of the thesis exhibition and the evaluation event. The student receives a written assessment of the thesis.

Thesis guide in Finnish (pdf)

During the workshop studies, the student participates in at least six lectures on knowledge of art or independent lecture visits. The lectures organised by the Art School are communicated internally every academic year. A lecture or guidance related to visual arts offered by other organisers is also accepted as a lecture visit.

The student can also replace the lecture by independently visiting a visual art exhibition and making it an assignment according to the instructions. The lecture entries are compiled in a lecture pass, which the student can request from the office or teachers’ room.

The purpose of the assessment of learning is to support the progress of the pupil’s visual arts studies. Versatile continuous evaluation includes different ways of giving feedback as well as guidance for self- and peer evaluation. During the 1st-4th grades, students receive a study year assessment from the teacher in the spring. In the period studies of the 5th-6th study years, the teacher does not give a written assessment, but the student conducts a self-assessment in each period under supervision. In the workshop studies, the student receives a teacher’s assessment at the end of the workshop.

Certificate of completion of basic studies in basic education in the arts: when a student has completed a portfolio of basic studies, it is evaluated and he or she receives a certificate of completion of basic studies.

Graduation certificate for the comprehensive syllabus of basic education in the arts: when a student has completed a thesis and received an assessment of it, he or she will receive a final certificate. There must be an acceptable number of studies and the student must have attended at least six lectures on knowledge of art or an independent exhibition visit.