ART DEPARTMENT – 2009
This year has proven to be yet another exciting one, filled with awards, outings and workshops. We are also fortunate to have Mrs Carina Shellard now teaching Grade 11 Visual Art and Textile Design to the Grade 11 Design pupils.
We are pleased to announce that all 26 entries for the Art Eisteddfod 2009 received awards. We were the only school that gained a ‘clean sweep’, with awards ranging from Double Golds to Bronze awards:
Grade 12 pupils:
RICHARD RAUTENBACH: 1 Double Gold, 3 Golds, 2 Silvers, and 1 Bronze.
JONATHAN VAN DER WALT: 3 Silvers.
EMMA SCHMIDT: 1 Silver
CHELSEA BOTHA: 1 Silver
TIM BAGG: 1 Bronze
LOUISE BAARTZES: 1 Bronze
Grade 11 pupils:
DANIELLE DURANDT: 1 Double Gold, 1 Gold, 1Silver, and 1Bronze.
ANGELIQUE DEMONT: 2 Golds, 1 Silver, and 2 Bronzes.
JADE BOTHA: 1 Gold
KYLIE HAWKINS: 1 Gold
AMY BODE: 1 Gold
Well done to you all. Next year we hope to have another ‘bumper year’!
Art Outings
The Matric Visual Art pupils visited the Red Location Museum, as Art and Politics is one of the themes that they cover in the theory syllabus. They were also taken on a guided tour of NMMU Art School by one of the lecturers, Thys Cilliers. Visits to the NMMM Art Museum in Park Drive was also much enjoyed (stopovers for soft serve ice creams were always enjoyed!)
The Grade 10 Visual Art pupils were taken to visit the Ron Belling Art Gallery and also Epsac Art Gallery in Bird Street.
Workshops
At the beginning of Term 2 the Grade 10, 11 and 12 Design pupils were treated to ceramic workshops at NMMU Art Museum, each class attending a separate workshop. Amanda, a ceramicist, demonstrated ceramic building techniques and then each pupil had the opportunity to create their own vessel. The ceramic pieces were brought back to school and glazed and fired in our own kiln.
In Term 3 another ceramicist, Lisa Walker, came to our art room and demonstrated a ceramic mould technique to the Grade 10 and 11 Design pupils.
These workshops are valuable in exposing the pupils to new and exciting techniques that they can apply to their own works.
The Ron Belling Art Gallery “Spring School of Art”
During the September holidays five of our art pupils, Richard Rautenbach, Angelique Demont, Kylie Hawkins, Lauren Anderson and Ethan Frost attended the Spring Art Festival at the Ron Belling Gallery in Park Drive. Five pupils from each school in Port Elizabeth that offer art as a subject, were selected to attend the workshop, with a total of 40 pupils in attendance.
Workshops over two days were conducted by artist Duncan Steward. Duncan studied and worked in Johannesburg and then trained at one of Italy’s foremost art schools. He demonstrated and guided the art pupils through expressive art techniques and then highlighted the relationship with the unseen/metaphysical realm of our existence. The pupils will create art works in their own time which will go on exhibition at the gallery in December. The theme this year is “Insideout”.
This workshop is a wonderful opportunity for art pupils who wish to pursue a career in the art field after school. A computer will be awarded to the pupil who produces the top work of art and a full bursary will go to a deserving matric pupil to study in the Arts Faculty at NMMU. We were delighted when Richard Rautenbach walked away with prize money of R1000.00 for the art work that he submitted for the exhibition in 2008 – a most deserving pupil who will also be receiving the 2009 ‘Van de Wyde Artist of the Year” trophy at V.P.
Exhibitions at school
Art works were exhibited at the Grade 8 Open Evening, the Grade 9 Subject Choice Evening, and also in the foyer of the Blake Hall for the duration of the musical “My African Dream”. Well done to those art pupils who had works on display. The school can feel quite proud of you very talented artists and designers!
Incentive awards
Crafty Arts at Walmer Park Shopping Centre have kindly sponsored three vouchers for talented and deserving pupils. Three Grade 10 pupils have been chosen as recipients of these awards, namely Geoffsen Hart, Nkosinathi Ngcala and Grant Cury. The respective amounts of the vouchers are R125, R75 and R50 for obtaining art materials from their shop.
Design
Grade 10 Design incorporates the practical disciplines of Textile Design and Ceramic Design. Then in Grade 11 Design pupils specialize in only one of these disciples (the classes are split between the two art teachers to allow for specialized training). Grade 12 Design sees all the Design pupils being reunited into one class again, a mixture of textiles and ceramics pupils.
Throughout the three years of FET Design, drawing skills are taught and theory is accompanied with the practical. The theory component of the subject covers the History of Design, Design Process and Production, and Design in a Business Context.
Visual Art
In Grade 10 drawing, painting and mixed media techniques are taught to the Visual Art pupils. Grade 11pupils are encouraged to experiment with different media in pursuit of highly creative and aesthetic works of art. Some of our art pupils are highly creative and innovative in creating multi-media works incorporating materials such as wire, nuts & bolts, wood, plaster, clay, photography, lighting and other materials into their works. The sky is the limit!
Visual Cultural Studies covers art history from ancient civilizations through to contemporary South African and International artists, as well as theoretical studies.
In General
Victoria Park High School continues to boast an art department where talented art pupils produce work of an incredible standard. Well done to those art pupils who put in such tremendous effort, and may you be an inspiration to other pupils who will choose Visual Art and/or Design as their FET subjects.
To the Matric art pupils of 2009 – we wish you all the best for a successful final examination. These pupils have been an absolute delight and I have spent a very enjoyable year watching them produce a vast portfolio of work which they can feel proud of.
Ms. Jeni McGrath
