STPM Visual Arts students get first virtual showcase

Art in the spotlight: (Front row, from left) Puteri Khalilah, Jan Danish Daniel, Siti Nurmasitah and Mohd Akmal at an appreciation ceremony with (back row, from left) MBS Form Six co-curricular teacher Kasturi Manickam, Toh, Zufrizah Aryiati and Janatul Shalida.

“TO infinity and beyond” – this was the theme of the recent online art exhibition held to showcase the artworks of five STPM 2020 Visual Arts students at Methodist Boys’ School (MBS), Kuala Lumpur.

The Virtual Walkthrough Art Exhibition was organised under the initiative of Visual Arts teacher Janatul Shalida Haji Abdul Aziz.

It was part of the school’s effort to build the students’ confidence and give them the opportunity to gain real-world experience.

Themed “Cakerawala” or “Celestial”, the artworks were the students’ coursework for their STPM Visual Arts subject. The assignment accounts for 25% of their cumulative grade point average (CGPA) for the subject.

Part of the coursework requirement is that students must present their artworks at a school-level exhibition.

As gatherings were not allowed to take place due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the STPM 2020 candidates were only required to carry out their presentations in class.

Janatul Shalida came up with the idea of showcasing the students’ projects through a virtual walkthrough instead.

For the students, the completion of the coursework projects had been made all the more challenging with the onslaught of the pandemic and subsequent school closures last year.

The main challenge stemmed from the fact that they couldn’t meet their teachers for face-to-face discussions.

“The pandemic stopped us from discussing ways to improve our artworks in person.

“Yet, I am still proud of my final piece. I never imagined that I would be able to produce such an amazing painting!” said Mohd Akmal Mohd Sulhan.

Another student Jan Danish Daniel Jan Raafi is grateful for the support shown by their supervising teacher Janatul Shalida.

The teacher had organised a two-day art workshop for the students at a studio run by All-Malaysian Painters’ Front president Amiruddin Ariffin, amid strict adherence to the standard operating procedure.

“Our teacher went the extra mile to organise the workshop for us. She also constantly guided us during our online classes, which helped manifest our ideas into reality, ” said Jan Danish Daniel.

At the virtual event officiated by MBS principal Toh Kok Min, the five students individually presented their masterpieces and explained the inspiration and meaning behind their artworks.

They also took questions from the audience, which numbered over a hundred.

Adding excitement to the event was a treasure hunt where participants had to answer Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) questions based on the virtual walkthrough in order to stand a chance to win prizes.

MBS Form Six senior assistant Zufrizah Aryiati Mahamad Fazim praised the students for their perseverance in completing their artworks amid the pandemic. She also commended Janatul Shalida for organising the school’s first virtual exhibition.

Visual Arts student Siti Nurmasitah Khairudin expressed delight at having the opportunity to take part in her first online art showcase.

“I feel proud that I was able to prepare and present my artwork like a professional artist!

“It was nerve-wracking when it was my turn to present, despite not facing the audience in person, ” she said.

Her fellow STPM candidates Puteri Khalilah Afiqah and Siti Nur Kamariah Mohd Salleh said they hoped their efforts would produce the desired results for their STPM Visual Arts subject.

With the completion of their coursework, the students have fulfilled all requirements for the subject.

MBS is one of the five schools in Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur offering the STPM Visual Arts subject.

Sadhna, an STPM 2020 candidate at MBS, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (NiE) team. For more information on the programme, go to facebook.com/niebrats.