Structure and courses

During the first three years of the ‘art plan,’ high school students are introduced to the various art and design programmes offered at the KABK. This allows them to acquire a broad foundation for the choices they will have to make in the second phase.

The subjects offered this year are: Fine Art, Graphic Design, Interior Architecture and Furniture Design, ArtScience, Textiles and Fashion, Art printing techniques, Screen Printing/Riso, Photography, Interactive/Media/Design. These subjects are offered in modules of about six lessons.
There are also classes in various KABK workshops such as the Wood, Ceramics, Metal and Screen printing workshops.

Core objectives

We conform to the following core objectives specified by the Ministry of Education for the first three years

‘By using elementary skills, students learn to investigate and apply the power of various artistic disciplines to express their own feelings, to document experiences, to give shape to their imagination and to realise communication’.

Considerable attention is devoted to reflection in each class. All assignments call for students to use their own imagination, with guidance from the teachers. In this way, students are encouraged to represent their own worlds in two-dimensional and three-dimensional objects and digital products. Students document ideas and experiences in blank notebooks known as 'dummies', which are later used to create preliminary studies and come up with objects for autonomous assignments. A dummy is a personal journal in which the students can work both during and outside of class hours. This book makes an important contribution to the realisation of this core objective. This core objective revolves around the production of art, which is what happens in every class, in the broadest sense of the term.

‘Students learn to present their own artistic work to third parties, both individually and as part of a group’.

The presentation of original work regularly takes place within each separate class, as well as upon completion of a block of classes within a single discipline. In addition, students learn to discuss their work within their own groups and to familiarise themselves sufficiently with the relevant concepts to explain their stories as well as possible. At the end of the school year, all work is presented jointly to an audience made up of all interested parties. The collective exhibition, which is prepared by the students, provides an opportunity to view and discuss the work.

‘Based on a certain level of background knowledge, students learn to look at visual art, to listen to music and to watch and listen to theatrical, dance and film performances’.

The art plan devotes considerable attention to the world of art and design, in which looking at art plays a central role. In January, an excursion day takes place with all students of all art plan classes together that is embedded in the classes prior and after this day. During this excursion, students/ experience art and culture in person, which helps them to understand and appreciate art. There are also small excursions held by individual teachers especially fitting their discipline. Each excursion is accompanied by an assignment and students report on the excursions in their dummies. In addition, exhibitions are often held in the gallery of the KABK building, which students/ are free to visit. Each discipline also pays attention to exhibitions within the discipline that have a particular relevance to the subject matter of the classes, allowing students/ to take the initiative to attend these exhibitions outside of these classes.

‘Assisted by visual or auditory resources, students learn to report on their participation in artistic activities (as both observers and participants)’.

In their dummies, students/ keep a record of their own experiences with art and culture. These reports receive attention and discussion during the classes. Students learn to express their experiences with the artistic expressions of others, including those of professional artists, both orally and in writing. The development of individual opinions is of great importance in this regard. The development of a good vocabulary with which to communicate about art is taught in a light-hearted manner.

‘Students learn to reflect orally and in writing on their own work and the work of others, including artists’. Within the art plan, students learn to verbalise their opinions of things and what they have learned during the creative process'.

The art plan is intended for students with an above-average interest in art. Within this plan at the KABK, they are introduced to the various study programmes and workshops that the academy has to offer. We aim to offer these students a curriculum that is as good and diverse as possible and that achieves the core objectives stated above. We hope that this will provide students with an incentive to continue within the world of art. Our art plan provides a solid base for this ambition.