THE ARTS

It has been a great start in The Arts this year. All classes are busy laying the foundations for the year and are eagerly working towards their first CATs/ SACs. 

In Visual Arts, our Year 7 Art students have been introduced to Art Analysis, which centres on the elements and principles of Art. They are learning to identify specific formal qualities in artworks, and form and voice their own opinions. Looking forward to starting the practical work. The Year 9 Art students have begun the semester by recapping and expanding on their knowledge of the Elements and Principals of Art. Last week they started working on their first CAT for the Semester; creating Linoprints on a design of their choice. In Ceramics, the Year 9s are well into making their first CAT, a coil pot using terracotta clay, and including the specific decorating techniques of ‘bass-relief’ and ‘incising’. ?The progress of student work is excellent, and I can’t wait to see how their artworks turn out. In Year 10, our Art subjects split into either Ceramics and Printmaking or Painting and Drawing. The Year 10 Ceramics and Printmaking students have almost finished the wet clay work for their first CAT ‘Dream-catchers’, while solidifying their knowledge of the materials, techniques and process required for working with clay.?The Year 10 Painting and Drawing students have been researching a chosen artist and analysing their work, in preparation of them creating an inspired portrait artwork. Our senior art students in Year 11 Art: Making and Exhibiting students are currently working through outcome 1 of unit 1. They are experimenting with different art forms, comparing the different materials and techniques in preparation for them creating original artworks in term 2. Lastly, Year 12 Creative Practice students are exploring and experimenting in preparation for creating their final artwork for this term that is inspired by a chosen artwork/artist. 

In the area of Visual Communication Design, our junior students are busy working on their first CATs for the Semester. Year 8 VCD students are currently working on their first CAT, book cover design: based on the year 7 short story collection, Things A Map Won’t Show You. They are exploring visual language and imagery specific to one story they have chosen from this book, and are researching and sketching different ways to design their individual book covers. The Year 9 VCD students have commenced work on their first CAT, an isometric video game landscape design. To succeed with this task, students are required to follow the design process and master the foundations of the isometric drawing method. This task will culminate in a fully rendered, original A3 isometric urban or natural landscape design, suitable for use in a fictional video game. Finally, the Year 10 VCD students have just completed a drawing composition task and are now starting on CAT 1: Minimalist Design. During this CAT students will study and design their own artworks based on the American Modernist designer Charley Harper; famous for his minimalist designs based on flora and fauna. 

In Media, Year 10 students began the semester by completing their first filmmaking challenge: The Chocolate Bar. Students were tasked with planning, filming and editing together a short sequence all in under one hour. They all did such a fantastic job. Now they are busy working on their first CAT for the semester; Movie Mash-up Posters where they must combine at least 2 films into one poster. They have some incredible ideas and we can’t wait to see how they turn out. The Year 12 Media students have been working hard analysing their Narratives and their Contexts film, Barbie. They have looks at how codes and conventions have been utilised to bring the world of Barbie to life as well as the many feminist influences in the film. 

?Lastly, in Year 9 Drama, after several lessons of group bonding Drama Games, the students have begun work on their first CAT; developing Improvisational Acting Skills. Students will perform in multiple styles and scenarios as they learn how to create a character and a narrative without the aid of a script.  

Matthew Neil-Holland 

THE ARTS KEY LEARNING HEAD