The 2026 IB Visual Art Exhibition, titled The Solution, opened last Monday, marking the end of an expressive two-year journey for IB Art Students and Seniors: Xiran (Cindy), Sierah, Zeina,  Mo (Molly), Sarinee (Un), Gabriela, Panithan (Beam), and Maya. 

The opening included a ribbon cutting, live jazz, food, and enthusiastic chatter about the arts. 

During the opening ceremony, IB Art teacher Stephanie Belbin emphasized the importance of creating art, especially for young people. “One thing that makes this exhibition so special is that it highlights what incredible things happen when we give these young humans the space to create, the space to be curious,” she says. “In [an art] class, at any age, in any grade, at any level, it’s a place where students don’t need to have the right answer. As students get older, they often stop asking ‘what if?’ And they’re a little more focused on how to get the grade. So these spaces that we give them are really special.”

That energy towards art was reflected in The Solution, an exhibition which presented solutions to problems or concepts students found important. A diverse range of media, including painting, drawing, photography, digital art, ceramics, and film, were all used to feature these ideas. 

Reflecting on her time in the course, Cindy admits that while the entire two-year process of creating and then curating pieces was stressful, it was ultimately rewarding. “In the first year [of IB Art]…my mind was just consumed with trying out different, new things and not being trapped in my own style too much.” She continues by saying, “By the second year, I had a better grasp of what [being in] IB Art was like and how I could express myself. So when I returned to my own style, [watercolor painting]…I felt like I really found my path.” 

Cindy’s exhibition is largely inspired by her personal experience with her culture, moving from China to Thailand, as well as where she’s traveled. “My art and this exhibition really started with…cultural storytelling, but then evolved into not just showing people the beauty of the culture, but also the complexity, and the chaos and harmful things about it.”

Ms. Belbin also highlighted that this year’s cohort would be the last to participate in a comparative study and a graded exhibition, all of which were a part of the IB Visual Arts curriculum previously. 

Generally, IB Visual Art consists of three main components: a Process Portfolio, in which students document their art-making process; a Comparative Study, which requires students to compare artwork by artists from different cultures/historical periods; and an Exhibition, in which students showcase a collection of their art. 

“The work of the exhibition [for each student] needs to tie together either stylistically or conceptually,”  Ms. Belbin explains. “So as you start to put your work together, and you’re starting to see what you wanted to say, what your themes are, then you pick the strongest pieces that really help to emphasize that.”

With the new IB Visual Art curriculum, the Comparative Study and Exhibition components have been revised to support students’ creative inquiry better.

“It’s been a trip [being in IB Art], but I honestly have to remember while I’m doing it, that [at least] I’m not in math class,” says Zeina. Zeina began drawing when she was just five years old, starting a lifelong connection with art. “There’s this one prompt: If something was taken from you [and it made you lose yourself], what would that be? [My answer] was always art, always expression.”

Zeina’s exhibition explores the strange in-between that teenagers find themselves in, where they have something that children don’t, but something adults have seemingly lost.

“[Art for me is about] letting the kids have fun, let everyone have fun,” she says, gesturing to her painting, “If I didn’t do this, then I wouldn’t be me, and I wouldn’t be having fun. That’s what would kill me.”

IB Art has had a massive impact on Gabi. “I think about…how much I’ve evolved, and that makes me feel really good because it’s not only the technical part of it…it’s also the way I think about things and the way I see inspiration,” she says. “I have a folder just full of pictures that I take [when I’m walking down the street]. [IB Art] has helped me find potential in everything as a sign. Anything can be a symbol.” 

Gabi’s exhibition was focused on salvation, not found through religion or devotion, but through self-deliverance. “Sometimes when I’m feeling down, I feel like it doesn’t matter if I create anything,” Gabi says, while describing the process behind creating work. “Then I get a bit of an absurdist perspective, and I think it literally doesn’t matter. So I’ll do it.”

When asked about what inspires her to make art, Gabi had this to say: “Emotion is valuable because it exists. We feel because we exist. So I think art is a way to give value to your thoughts, thus giving value to yourself. That’s kind of what my exhibition is about… [I can] paint a piece that has teeth getting cleaned, and that means something to me. And I think that’s the role [art plays] at the end of the day.  People [can] show…something that means a lot to them, and this [exhibition] means a lot to me.” 

She ends by saying, “We need to find the intrinsic value in art, because art exists because we exist.”

Senior Gigi, an IB music student, who attended the opening, echoed this sentiment. “What I really enjoyed, other than all the art, was seeing how many people had attended, considering how often the arts are overlooked in comparison to sports,” she says. “It brought me a lot of joy to see how busy the event was that night.”

The IB Art Exhibition, The Solution, can be visited anytime and will run until April 10th in the ISB Theatre Gallery.