As part of YCIS Shanghai’s holistic art programme, having Artists-in-Residence (AIR) at our campuses provides students with the opportunity to collaborate with professional artists on projects that encourage learning and creativity. During the summer break, as part of YCIS Shanghai’s Extended Learning Summer Programme, students could attend additional Art classes with the AIR at both Puxi and Pudong campuses.

At YCIS Shanghai, Puxi, Mr Mark Montgomery, AIR at YCIS Shanghai for ten years, worked with a group of Upper Primary students in making comics, which ranged from designing their characters and writing their own stories, to printing and distributing their newly-created work. Off campus recently, Mr Montgomery also hosted the “Starbucks Envelope Portrait Art Exhibition”, a community event organised by Starbucks to showcase the portraits he has drawn in the last ten years on Starbucks’ paper packaging.

Over at YCIS Shanghai, Pudong, more than 120 students worked with AIR Ms Haruka Ostley and Mr Gabe Ostley. Ms Ostley is a multidisciplinary artist focused on painting, and her husband, Mr Ostley, a comic book artist. They both have a passion for storytelling, and, during the summer classes, they shared with students the behind-the-scenes processes of making their artwork.

In Primary, younger students created illustration books, and their older peers explored the world of stop-motion animation. Secondary students also worked on artworks, such as comic books and zine-making, and participated in the mural painting project. 

The AIR programme at YCIS Shanghai allows students to work side-by-side with professional artists on a variety of projects and, thanks to the additional Art classes, students were able to continue to explore their creativity and express their personal views in the form of art during the summer break.