Senior visual art students at Matthew Flinders Anglican College on the Sunshine Coast traveled to Brisbane art galleries on Thursday, 9 February to get inspired and connect their art studies with current trends and innovative art practices.
The budding artists in Years 11 and 12 visited the Gallery of Modern Art’s (GOMA) exhibition 'Air', showcasing immersive and large-scale works by leading international and Australian artists exploring the cultural, ecological, and political dimensions of air.
The students also visited the Museum of Brisbane (MoB) at City Hall to view 'Play Moves', which invited the students to dance, weave and move their way through six large-scale installations by local and national participatory artists.
The group also reconnected with Gordan Hookey’s work, currently an artist in residence at MoB. Last year the Year 11 students had enjoyed a private tour of Gordon’s exhibition at MoB before visiting the artist in his studio at The Paint Factory in Yeronga and touring the precinct – a highlight of their year!
At Flinders, Visual Art is an important part of the core curriculum from Prep to Year 9, and thereafter students are able to choose Art as an elective from Years 10 to 12.
The annual Flinders Art Exhibition features hundreds of artworks created by children at Flinders Early Learning Centre and by students from Prep to Year 12.
Flinders Head of Art Mrs Ros Braithwaite said it was vital for students to venture beyond the classroom and experience galleries to look at art and the role of artists in the real world.
“At Flinders, our approach is to involve students in complex thinking and diverse making,” Ros said.
“We recognise that visual art is vital for learning across the curriculum and for helping young people to make sense of their lives and the wider world.”
In Year 11, students explore a variety of experiences in 2D, 3D and time-based media before specialising in their own area of interest in Year 12.
In Year 12, students at Flinders can take on any art practice and are encouraged to follow their own area of interests., with many keen musicians, fashion, film and design students incorporating these interests into their work and using it when creating a folio to enter into university.
The College supports students to incorporate technology into their art practice, with access to resources, equipment and facilities such as iPads for digital drawing and animations, VR headsets for virtual painting and class sets of DSLR cameras to use.
The College is opening its new design centre facility in 2024 and Visual Art will be one of the main subjects taught and presented there.
The College provides professional-grade equipment for visual art development, including a ceramic kiln and a glass kiln for fusing, photographic screenprinting facilities, pottery wheels, laser and vinyl cutters.
The new design facility will also feature an art gallery, clean tech space, white box room for installation and immersive experiences, projection screens for time-based art, pitching space and break-out areas.
