A YEAR IN ( AND A LITTLE BIT OUT OF ) THE ART DEPARTMENT
Robbed of studio space and beset by cancelled exhibitions , the year has provided plenty of challenges but also fresh opportunities .
Usually , I enjoy writing about the various creative achievements of our artists , their exam projects and particularly the celebratory exhibition at the Oxo Bargehouse . However , this year I ’ d like to start with a new development : the ranks of visitors to the studios have been swelled by a series of students not pursuing art within the curriculum , who have been able to spend some time with us as part of the co-curricular offering to Year 11 and the Upper Sixth .
With the students unexpectedly having stretches of time to develop skills without the fuss and pressure of being examined , we had a new batch of customers to share techniques and approaches with . Printmaking , painting and photography courses were soon filled and ceramics proved an especially popular choice , to the extent that we were soon overwhelmed with budding potters . Teachers much enjoyed the freedom of developing courses untethered from schemes of work and it was particularly refreshing to find students for whom everything was new . My group of etchers even gasped in surprise at the simple pleasures of degreasing a copper plate . Much was achieved , new perspectives were formed and , I hope , everybody enjoyed the process . I even had a few rueful moments wondering why certain students hadn ’ t opted to study Visual Arts as part of their IB Diploma . Many thanks to my colleagues who jumped at this opportunity with their usual enthusiasm and commitment .
Our cohort of IB artists , ever patient and understanding with the challenges of remote creativity , assembled powerful bodies of independent , personal work for their final submissions . All manner of solutions were found to making ambitious work at home : sculptures constructed in small sections to assemble later in the studio or small drawings that later became huge ones through digital wizardry are just two examples . Throughout , this cohort of 26 , our largest ever number of IB artists , were dedicated , engaged and relentlessly creative . Their work shows the dynamic range of ideas and processes they chose to evolve and highlights their resilience and imagination . Likewise , the Year 11 artists developed coherent exhibitions that explored many interpretations of the initial , thematic starting point of Simplicity and Complexity . The sophistication of their interpretation led to outcomes ranging from large , conceptual sculptures to digital animations . With many choosing to sustain their interest in art in the Sixth Form , we can look forward to further impressive exhibitions in the future , hopefully in person .
Charley Openshaw
34 ART REVIEW