Study a subject that will keep on giving throughout your life ~ The Visual Arts
A Ailie James-McMaster Circle of Churches; below the veil 1 Creative Generation Award, exhibited at GOMA Our inspired students have gone on to study and work in an exponentially growing range of areas having learned valuable life-long skills from their time in the subject - flexible thinking, resilience, creative problem solving, and importantly for life/job satisfaction, how to recognise and exploit a 'flow experience' Not everyone works in the Arts, but the subject did have a positive impact and they attribute part of their success to their time in Visual Art no matter where they are or what they are doing now. With careers they love, from software design to law, high fashion to medicine, architecture to psychology, as practicing artists, curators and designers, our girls are thriving in the ever changing, increasingly visual world. One thing these girls have in common is a love of and commitment to life-long learning and the ability to see and appreciate what the world has to offer. Our inquiry learning process enables this approach to art and life, and encourages personal responses to contemporary issues. In developing artworks, students look at the work of a range of mentor artists such Dianna Al Hadid. This little video may help you understand how the inquiry process works - http://www.art21.org/newyorkcloseup/films/diana-alhadids-suspended-reality/ Read what some of our past students have to say:
What the Students Say Comments from past students: Brittany Houlahan: I think through Grade 12 Visual Art was my most important subject. Not only did it challenge me and introduce me to new concepts, ideas and topics, but it was a way for me to deal with events and experiences in my life. Looking back at my work you can clearly see connections between my subconscious and what was on the page during class. This expression was vital for me making it through my final year of school. Art at sthildas particularly, has fantastic resources and committed staff which are really what make the subject enjoyable. Classes are fun and memorable and after you put in the effort and the hard work, what you get out of visual art is more than just beautiful paintings and photographs, but an experience, a journey and lifelong skills.
The Brittany Houlahan Gallery http://www.gosha.com.au/Gosha/Brittany_Houlahan_Gallery.html
Millie Bell: Art gave me the ability to take complex issues and work through them in tangible, visual ways‌ It taught me to approach things creatively in all aspects of my life and to see the world differently because of that. I love my law degree because in many ways it requires the same creative
approach to legal issues that I developed in your art classes :) Visual Art was the most valuable class that I ever took in high school and my life remains so much more enriched because of it. Thank you!!! Annie Ke: I have benefited so much from studying Visual Art over two years, and the things I was taught have given me so much help with the university course – architecture that I’m doing now. To the future students, I’m very sure the skills you learn from Visual Art will assist you along in your lifetime, and lead you to observe more about the world around you. Alice Farquharson: So many things - including stuff I didn't fully appreciate until much later! But if I had to pick, it would probably be the habit of collecting things, ideas and images, combining and playing until something completely different emerges - life becomes full of happy surprises. If it's not already obvious, I am very grateful for my time in Visual Art at St Hilda's - thank you! Anastaszia Ward 2011: The tools acquired from studying visual art influenced me in a myriad of other areas - from philosophy to physics - and I found that my studies in art could easily lend themselves to my other subjects. Having developed a passion for art in high school that has driven me to continue study in fine arts, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I had! Perhaps less obvious, but just as important, is the ability (or desire?) to notice the serendipitous, the benign and the simple beauty of detritus, which made me a more appreciative person in general.
Anastaszia Ward Series – Creative Generation Award 2011 Stephanie Morrow 2001: These days, I practice as a lawyer in Melbourne - I prosecute white collar crime, but I've also worked as a litigation lawyer in a big corporate firm specialising in insolvency and consumer law, as well as at a Royal Commission and in community legal centres. Reflecting on my St Hilda's experience, the most valuable subjects I studied were English and Art. I would encourage any bright, hard-working students to study Art throughout their senior school years. These are some of the benefits I enjoyed as a result of my Art studies: 1. An opportunity to deeply reflect upon the issues that concerned me in my personal life, and to process concepts and matters that I studied in other subjects, to make sense of my place in my community, my ambition for my own life, and develop my personal beliefs. 2. Development of manual skills (drawing, painting, photographic manipulation) that I continue to use in my personal life as a hobby. This is an invaluable outlet for stress and acts as a balance to my professional practice. I am a more interesting person, and a happier person, as a result of having a personal art practice. 3. My enjoyment of art galleries and the theatre has been enhanced by my study of art history and critique; spending time reviewing the latest art exhibitions brings me real joy, and I've been able to teach friends how to read and better understand artwork we see together. My sister (who also studied Art at St Hilda's) and I spent two months travelling through Europe visiting all the art galleries we could; it was fabulous! 4. Creative thinking - which Art study develops - is essential to my legal practice. It makes me a better problem solver and negotiator. I don't think anyone would dispute that St Hilda's is among the best schools in the country to study Art; for this reason alone, any student who is hard-working should consider the subject. But the amount of effort and work required should not be underestimated! Laura Steinert: It’s broader than a lot of other subjects so if you develop an interest in something then odds are you can explore that in your visual diary or even in your artwork.
- The lessons you learn from the subject are often personal and unique, so they’ll always be relevant to your life. - The classroom environment is novel and interesting and makes for many memorable experiences. - There’s a lot more freedom to figure things out in your own individual way instead of relying on some sort of set system to do the work. - No other subject can make an excursion seem like a rite of passage; they’re once in a lifetime. - Every once in a while you’ll get rather attached to an artwork and it’ll become your new friend. - Carting around often freakishly strange materials for your artworks will make for many interesting conversations (with your real friends :P). - Even if you work your guts out for the subject at the time and don’t have any nice words to say, by the time it’s over you’ll be lost without it and you’ll miss it like hell. Priyanka Kapadia: Art is a way of seeing, I’ve always believed. When I stood infront of an empty canvas I was on top of the world and saw its endless possibilities. It made me smile. Today I am a doctor - a paediatrician in training. My experience in medicine has shown me how important creative thinking is in problem solving, seeing the whole patient and approaching new challenges in all areas of global health. Some of the greatest doctors and scientists in the world have been artists at heart. This is why I feel that art is relevant to any profession or industry. In a complex world that faces bigger challenges every day, as a society we will depend on our creative minds for innovative ideas. One of the greatest insights that I have gained from working in Paediatrics is that all children are naturally born with creative thinking. We somehow loose these skills as we get older. I found a way to keep my childhood passion alive by continuing art through the visual arts curriculum at St. Hilda's. It remains till this day, the most valuable learning experience of my schooling years and the insight and wisdom from the art room travels with me every day." Dr. Priyanka Kapadia Paediatric Registrar Sydney Children’s Hospital BSc (University of Queensland) MBBS (University of Queensland) Diploma of Paediatrics (Univeristy of NSW) Paediatric Trainee (Royal Australasian College of Physicians) Ann Lee: Visual Art is not just about a style of painting, drawing or sculpting - in this mixed media saturated world it is all about communication. 2D, 3D, 4D, 1D - students need to learn historically where we came from, how we used to express, represent and communicate with the fundamental principles (line, shape, colour, volume, perspective) and challenging students to communicate the same way (or different) in new mediums for the future - digital. Digital on objects (Sydney Vivid www.vividsydney.com/). Colours in numbers (a coloured mug with Pantone number is hip nowadays, will set you back $25USD for a coloured mug with a number on it?). It's about learning to perceive & ingest the very many stimuli around, yesterday, now, tomorrow, collate it, re-present it or your opinion of it, or something else altogether. It's all dialogue - expressed in one form or another that defines who we are. Historically, Culturally, Politically, Aesthetically. It is also the only subject that drives you to always look outside the box because there is no right answer (most times) - life heuristics. One thing its definitely taught me is - you can choose to capitalise on an idea, or just enjoy it. That gets you through a lot in
corporate life.
"It's not where you take things from – it's where you take them to." Jean-Luc Godard "If you can't solve a problem, it's because you're playing by the rules." - Paul Arden (former creative director for Saatchi & Saatchi) "The tools that you really need or the keys aren’t there, but you can sometimes take a screw out with a knife." - Damien Hirst Tash Samson: Vis Arts and (Multimedia) allowed me to explore creativity through various mediums and set the foundation for where I am now.. a freelance graphic designer! Syenny Lee: Of course it has had a life long impact in my life. I studied masters if arts management and masters of Innovation and Organization of Culture and the Arts. The ability to appreciate art increases the quality of life. Thanks to the art course and training that I was exposed to in high school. Suzie Wells: Visual Art teaches you not just to look at a picture and accept it as face value but to investigate and put thought and create your own interpretation. This is a valuable tool that can be applied to any situation in life. It is also a great way for those St Hilda's student that don't quite fit in the box to express themselves... I can also assure you that even those of us who may not have paid the best attention had more than we were aware of sink in. Autumn Mooney: Studying visual arts gave me a tool to look beyond the obvious and find a greater meaning, something I transferred from art to life. It taught me to recognise and appreciate art history. And really, you are left with extremely useful information for conversations on art, culture and life in any country with anybody. People talk about this subject, or say they wish they knew more. Of course, it's helps to have a brilliant and enthusiastic teacher. Sarah Don: I find more and more that the presentation of research is just as important, if not more important, than the research itself. I often receive very positive feedback on pictures and presentations I make to explain my research and I think it has to do with the intuition I developed for balance, focus and colour scheme while studying visual art in school. Besides ease of communication of key information in a paper or presentation through the use of diagrams and pictures that are clear and visually appealing, having a sound color scheme and use of white space creates a sense of professionalism often overlooked by researchers who are so focused on the microscopic details that they fail to even communicate a macroscopic concept. Many of the professors I've taken classes with can't draw 3D representations. In the classroom, the communication of ideas is so important, and yet there's a barrier at the boundary of thinking in 3D because so many people can't draw in 3D. I think studying visual art helped me to break down composite shapes into smaller shapes that are easier to think about and therefore easier to draw. I think it's a way of seeing and thinking that is important to learn early on.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Nuclear Engineering · Cambridge, Massachusetts Nicole Chiu: Art is a philosophy, it is not just about visual design. - That's what I learned. Creative thinking, problem solving, personal expression, and the development a huge range of skills: analytical, technical, thinking skills of all kinds are central to the inquiry process we use in the subject. In short, the visual arts offer tremendous opportunities for artistic and personal growth.
Cheralyn Lim Portraits Oil Painting
The Critical Importance of Visual Arts Education: http://www.arteducators.org/advocacy/whitepapers
As skillful educators have found, teaching students to be creative is a deliberate process, much like teaching students to be literate or to be able to solve mathematics problems... “Advocacy White Papers for Art Education” are a collection of 14 essays written in response to the NAEA report, Learning in a Visual Age: The Critical Importance of Visual Arts Education. These essays communicate the value of visual arts education in a constantly changing educational environment and demonstrate why visual arts education is important for meeting each student’s educational needs. Introduction By Enid Zimmerman (Posted November 16, 2011) Section I: What High-Quality Art Education Provides Haywood Rolling Jr. (Posted November 16, 2011)
By Kerry Freedman, Pat Stuhr, Jerome Hausman, and James
Section II: How High-Quality Arts Education Can Prepare Students for the Future Stokrocki, and Brent Wilson (Posted March 21, 2011)
By Karen Keifer-Boyd, Mary
Section III: What Excellent Visual Arts Teaching Looks Like (Posted July 9, 2012)
By Lynn Beudert, Judith Burton, and Renee Sandell
Section IV: How to Infuse the Arts Into Learning Environments (Posted December 7, 2012)
By Enid Zimmerman, Kit Grauer, and Peter London
Section V: Ensuring Excellent Visual Arts Education for Every Student Milbrandt (Posted December 7, 2012)
By Susan Gabbard, Barbara Laws, and Melody
Elliot Eisner & Howard Gardner Research From an early point in his career Elliot Eisner was worried that most schools, by failing to properly appreciate the significance of art, were offering an unnecessarily narrow and seriously unbalanced approach to education. Moreover, he began to recognize that many of the then current conceptions of cognition - because they lacked proper attention to artistic modes of thinking - were inadequate (Uhrmacher 2001: 247). Later, Howard Gardner, was to make a similar point within his argument for attention to 'multiple intelligences'. Elliot W. Eisner made the case for developing a proper attention to the cognitive in art rather than it being only driven by emotional and what were termed 'creative' forces. Uhrmacher (2001: 248) comments that Eisner 'stressed that environment shapes artistic attitudes and that art education has unique contributions to make to growing children'. Eisner was also to argue strongly for a concern for the critical and aesthetic in art education (see below) - and for a better exploration of historical context. He was later to argue that approaches which simply gave children arts materials in the hope that their creativity might flow resulted in programmes 'with little or no structure, limited artistic content, , and few meaningful aims' (Eisner 1988). Uhrmacher judges that 'in large measure due to Eisner's advocacy, art education has become a content-oriented discipline. http://www.infed.org/thinkers/eisner.htm
Marianne Templeton – collage installation
Our labyrinth excursion