Art Exhibition & Workshops

2025

Exhibitions and Creative Platforms

At DAIS, the Visual Arts programme extends far beyond the classroom. Students are provided with a wide range of opportunities to create, exhibit and engage with the arts through authentic experiences that celebrate creativity, collaboration and critical thinking.

Throughout the year, student work is showcased across the school through curated displays that reflect the school's guiding statements and values while celebrating the many creative opportunities within our community. These include collaborative installations, thematic exhibitions, the design of the Annual Day invitation, inter-house art competitions and other projects that encourage students to contribute meaningfully to the visual culture of the school.

A significant milestone within the programme is the final IB Diploma Programme Visual Arts Exhibition, an externally assessed component of the IB Diploma Programme Visual Arts course. Here, students present a carefully curated body of work developed over two years around a personally conceived theme or curatorial concept. Their exhibition may include drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, installation, found materials, lens-based media, photographic processes, digital illustration and film. Alongside demonstrating technical skill and conceptual development, students thoughtfully consider how their work is experienced within an exhibition space, developing valuable curatorial and exhibition design skills. These highly personal investigations prepare students for further study and creative pathways at leading universities around the world.

Complementing this is the annual DAIS Art Exhibition, which brings together work from the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), IGCSE and IB Diploma Programme. The exhibition offers a holistic view of artistic learning across the school, celebrating the progression of ideas, skills and creative expression from the earliest years through to graduating students.

Experiences Beyond the Classroom

The Visual Arts programme is enriched through opportunities that connect students with the wider creative community. Students regularly visit museums, galleries and cultural institutions to experience significant exhibitions and engage with contemporary artistic practice. Recent visits have included Bhakti II at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) and Art Deco Alive at the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, allowing students to explore diverse artistic traditions, historical narratives and curatorial approaches firsthand.

Students also participate in workshops, competitions and collaborations with artists, designers and universities. This year, students took part in the Falmouth University workshop on AI and Creativity, extending their learning beyond the classroom following the

Falmouth University Creative Challenge, where student submissions were shortlisted for recognition. Their work was also selected for display at the IB Global Conference 2026, hosted in Mumbai, where artworks from DAIS formed part of the conference environment, showcasing student creativity to an international audience of IB educators and school leaders. Such experiences encourage experimentation, critical inquiry and an understanding of emerging creative technologies and practices.

Community Engagement

This year also marked the inaugural Arts Day, an initiative led by our parent committee that expanded opportunities for students and the wider school community to engage with the arts. As part of the event, students exhibited work responding to the theme Beyond Borders, exploring how art can foster dialogue, shared experiences and collective aspirations for the future. The event reflected DAIS's belief that the arts are central to building empathy, collaboration and meaningful connections within and beyond the school.

A Culture of Creativity

The Visual Arts programme at DAIS is built upon the belief that creativity flourishes through authentic experiences, meaningful dialogue and opportunities to share ideas with diverse audiences. Whether through exhibitions, collaborative projects, competitions, workshops or partnerships with cultural institutions and universities, students are encouraged to develop confidence as creative thinkers, communicate with purpose and recognise the transformative role of the arts in shaping both individual perspectives and the wider community.