Art

MR STEPHEN EARDLEY head of art

HARRY MARTIN -EQUALITY - SLAVER

2018 has seen change in the Senior School Visual Art department. I was appointed Head of the Department and was joined by Mr Eli Faen as a permanent Visual Art teacher specialising in Years 7 to 9. Mr Faen has recently relocated with his family from Sydney to the Gold Coast. Prior to becoming an Art teacher, Mr Faen worked in the film industry for approximately 15 years as a set painter, muralist, and props maker on films such as Wolverine, Peter Pan and Ghostrider. He is very enthusiastic about working at TSS, and loves the creativity and energy the TSS boys bring to Art.

Another invaluable member of the Art team is Mr Dan Sleeman. Mr Sleeman is the Art Assistant working three days a week in the Art department. He keeps the flow of the department smoothly moving along with a great deal of preparation of material and resources that manifest when required.

Through the year we have been fine tuning and rewriting aspects of all year group programs which continue strongly from Year 7 through 12. This is allowing us to prepare the younger years for the new senior syllabus. We have a shift to more theory and history to understand the theoretical in Art as well as the continued practical components. Visiting an exhibition is an important component of the Years 10 and 11 courses. Students experience, in real time, the artistic qualities of the artwork allowing them to engage beyond the digital thumbnails they often refer to on a computer screen. The Years 10 and 11 students visited the Tweed Regional Art Gallery in Murwillumbah to see Go Figure: Works from the Collection. In Semester Two the Years 9 and 10 students visited HOTA to see ENERGIES; a collection of the best secondary school art work in the region, and responded to the excursion by composing a review.

The Year 9 students were offered Visual Art as a semester elective in Semester One and /or Semester Two. Most of the Year 9 cohort chose to undertake at least one semester of Art. The Year 9 students have again drawn inspiration for their practical major artwork from the local environment – with excursions to Tallebudgera/Burleigh Headland, and the Gold Coast Spit. Immersing in ‘a sense of place’ allows the students to engage all of their senses to respond to an environment and transfer this into their visual creations. The Year 10 students were introduced to a new course which aligned to the new senior syllabus, with fewer making experiences requiring more investigation, development and depth. They also undertook two examinations similar in style to the ones they will be expected to sit in Year 12 in two years time. The Year 11s were challenged to explore through various art projects The Self’ as a concept producing some wonderful work. The Year 12s moved beyond the self to Make a Difference by addressing significant world issues in their art. These are available for viewing on the six art blogs which are updated throughout the year. http://tssyr7art.blogspot.com.au http://tssyr8art.blogspot.com.au http://tssyr9art.blogspot.com.au http://tssyr10art.blogspot.com.au http://tssyr11art.blogspot.com.au http://tssyr12art.blogspot.com.au

Several Year 12 students were selected this year to exhibit in the Gold Coast Secondary School’s Art Exhibition – ENERGIES 2018 held at HOTA Art Gallery. The work of Cody Corbett, Daniel Bowen, Dougal Coleman, Harry Cox, Harry Martin, Jack Wiki and Saxon Wood represented the School and stood strongly amongst the best of the artwork from schools on the Gold Coast. The ENERGIES exhibition can be viewed at: http://energies2018 goldcoastsecondaryschools.blogspot. com.au

Our boarding and day Art students continue to take advantage of Wednesday Art prep, which runs most Wednesday evenings, providing time and space for the continuance of class projects, and assistance in skill and concept from one of the Art faculty.

The St Alban’s Gallery continued to be closed as it was turned into much needed Resident accommodation. It should be up and running in 2019. With the Lecture Theatre coming on line this year, the foyer space has provided an excellent venue for displaying artwork. There have been several exhibitions using the School St Alban’s art collection, and set up for the International Boys' Schools Coalition Conference was a portrait exhibition showcasing the Years 10 and 11 students' acrylic on canvas paintings.