Visual Arts
2019 in the Preparatory School artroom was busy, engaging all students in exploring the huge range of media and skill-building processes to create artworks to treasure. The students readily set to work and consolidated previous learning and applied new skills. The Preparatory School Visual Arts programme in 2019 was further refined and designed to specifically meet the key aim of integrating Te Reo Māori and Tikanga Māori seamlessly into weekly art classes. This integration worked well at all levels, from simple actions such as greeting all students in Te Reo Māori and using the language in a natural manner within everyday situations, to extending the focus on Māori traditional and contemporary art practices as a primary context for learning new skills and techniques. Given the cyclic nature of the established programme, it was possible to build on students’ previous learning and find new ways of applying newly acquired skills and techniques within the context of Te Reo Māori.
Advice and encouragement from Te Reo Māori teacher, Marcelle Leo’o, and fellow members of the Te Reo Māori PLG who met three times per term in the Art classroom for language lessons, also added a positive dimension to this year’s initative. It was noticeable that as classroom teachers introduced more Te Reo into their own programmes, the students were more fluent and relaxed in using Te Reo in everyday situations. They were proud to have their language knowledge. Art units trialled in 2018 were revised and reviewed to meet the needs of students and refine the methods and processes used. Incidental learning can sometimes be generated by real-life experiences, hence the opportunity for some senior classes to explore Islamic art as a means of responding to 15 March in an expression of unity through art. A large unit of work focusing on Matariki saw a school wide exhibition of artwork, mainly in three dimensions, celebrating this special time of year. Students incorporated harakeke weaving, kite making, kete 39
