The Visual Arts comprises three areas, Art, Craft and Design.  Visual Arts encompasses theoretical and practical activities within an conceptual framework that expresses the relationship between the artist and the cultural, social and physical environment.

Visual Arts is a creative process. It is therefore important that the desire to create, whether for utilitarian or aesthetic purposes, be developed and sustained.  To create it also uniquely human and the creative impulse is common to every child.  The Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (VSEC) syllabus in the Visual Arts offers the student the opportunity to acquire a variety of experiences and sills.  The syllabus is particularly oriented towards the Caribbean, since there is a pressing need for the people of the region to develop an aesthetic awareness and appreciation of their cultural heritage.

The syllabus in visual Arts provides students with a basis for further study.  It also enhances leisure time pursuits, vocational skills and fosters aesthetic, physical and spiritual development.

The study of Visual Arts is intended to assist student in:

• acquiring specific skills and developing craftsmanship in the use of materials and related technology;
• realising their individual ideas in 2- and 3-dimensional forms;
• using indigenous materials in their original or processed forms;
• developing an appreciation for the work of artists and craftsmen in the Caribbean and other regions;
• increasing their facility in developing and using the technical vocabulary of art and design;
• creating a sensitivity to nature and to their cultural, social and physical environment;
• utilising ‘found’ or recyclable materials;
• developing and displaying positive personal and social attitudes;
• developing skills in research and critical analysis;
• using both traditional and contemporary technology to design and produce works of art.

The CSEC Visual Arts programme is organised as a set of ten Production Options:

• Drawing
• Imaginative Composition
• Graphic Design
• Printmaking
• 3-Dimensional Design
• Fibre Arts
• Surface Decoration (Textiles)
• Ceramics
• Leathercraft
• Decorative Craft

The programme is offered under two alternative syllabuses: Syllabus A and Syllabus B.  Under syllabus A, candidates select and study any two of the ten Production Options and Theory of Art.  Under Syllabus B, candidates select and study any three of the ten Production Options.