Since its founding in 1989, our international school has developed an educational philosophy built around three core pillars: language, culture, and sport. Within this framework, cultural exploration plays a vital role and nowhere is this more visible than in the school’s rich and varied approach to the arts.
At Eurécole, art isn’t just an extracurricular activity—it’s woven into the very fabric of each student’s learning journey. It nurtures creativity, encourages self-expression, and helps build connections between academic subjects and the wider world.
🎨 Rafaële Ide, an artist who has been teaching at Eurécole for nearly three decades
Rafaële Ide has been sharing her artistic vision with Eurécole students since 1996. A graduate of Camondo School of Interior Architecture, she also trained at the prestigious Met de Penninghen studio in preparation for competitive entrance into France’s top art institutions.
She began her career as an illustrator, collaborating with architecture firms, publishers, and design studios to create visual concepts and perspectives. Alongside her commercial work, she has pursued painting and exhibited her work in major art salons including Mac2000, the Salon de la Jeune Peinture, and the Montrouge Salon.
Her art has been showcased both in France and abroad—in Seoul, in Amman (where she presented a project on the ancient site of Petra, focused on stone as a material), and in Houston. Her work often draws on themes of nature, landscape, and texture.
As a multidisciplinary artist, Rafaële works across painting, engraving, photography, and book arts. This diversity feeds directly into her teaching practice, where she encourages students to engage with a wide range of materials, techniques, and artistic concepts.
🖌️ A Collaborative and Cross-Curricular Approach to Art
Art classes at Eurécole are developed in close coordination with classroom teachers. Each project is designed to complement topics being studied across the curriculum, creating meaningful connections between subjects and a strong pedagogical continuity.
Each session typically begins with an introduction to a technique, an artist, or a moment in art history—followed by hands-on experimentation with materials. Students are encouraged to explore freely while developing technical skills and a refined visual sensibility.
In early years (preschool), the emphasis is on free expression and play. As students progress through primary school, projects become more structured while still leaving room for imagination and personal interpretation.
🌟 Why Art Matters in a Child’s Development ?
For Rafaële, art is a safe space where every child can express themselves—often thriving creatively even when they struggle elsewhere. Art offers a pause in the school day, a chance to focus, to let go, and to build self-confidence.
It fosters motor skills, spatial awareness, and emotional intelligence. Through exposure to art history and artists from around the world, students gain cultural insight and learn to view the world from different perspectives.
🎨 Highlights from the 2024–2025 School Year
Once again this year, Rafaële led a variety of engaging and imaginative art projects, each one linked closely to classroom topics or cultural outings.
✨ Storytelling through Art
Grade 1 – A large mural inspired by forests and fairy tales, using painting, collage, and layering techniques to fuel student imagination.
Grade 2 – 3D story boxes based on classic tales like Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack and the Beanstalk, combining painted backdrops with narrative elements to explore perspective and spatial design.
Grade 4 – The Forest Book: a mixed-media project combining illustration, creative writing, and visual composition.
✨ Working with Clay and Natural Materials
Kindergarten – Clay masks inspired by their visit to the Quai Branly Museum and influenced by indigenous and tribal art forms.
Grade 3 – Botanical impressions made by pressing plants into clay, teaching children how to handle, shape, and imprint the medium with care.
Grade 5 – Clay sculpture workshop inspired by Camille Claudel, exploring the expressive power of form and texture.
✨ Art History and Global Perspectives
Grade 5 – A unit on the Pre-Raphaelite movement, combining art analysis with drawing inspired by themes of nature, poetry, and aesthetic beauty.
Kindergarten – “The Journey of a Drop”: an ink-based project focusing on gesture and movement, linked to stories shared in class.
✨ Nature-Inspired Book Arts
Grade 3 – Creation of botanical leporellos (accordion books), incorporating natural elements into thoughtful compositions and visual storytelling.
🌍 Creativity at the Heart of Eurécole’s Mission
For over 35 years, our international school has championed a learning environment where creativity and culture are just as important as academics. The art workshops led by Rafaële Ide reflect this commitment offering students a space to grow, explore, and connect across disciplines.
👉 Want to learn more about how the arts are integrated into learning at our international school?
📞 Get in touch or come visit us to discover a vibrant and globally minded approach to education—where language, culture, and creativity thrive together.