The Arts

News from Visual Arts …

A very creative start to the year with our Year 11 Visual Arts class visiting QAGOMA as part of their Unit 1 research ‘Art as Lens’. The current exhibitions inspired students to think critically about how we view the world and ourselves. 

Our extension classes are also underway for Term 1 – Visual Art Studio with Dr. David Nixon – expressive methods of printmaking and drawing on Friday after school have allowed students to explore mono printing as a spontaneous drawing/print process. 

Students in the Year 7 Visual Art Studio Foundation Program on Thursday afternoon focused on observation drawing and the use of media processes and techniques as a starting point for their mixed media painting unit.

Visual Art Workshop with Sophie Munns

Queensland artist Sophie Munns visited with Year 11 Visual Art students on the 15 of February to lead our eager Year 11 artists through her seedartlab workshop. 

Informed by her 2010 year-long residency in the Seed Lab - Brisbane Botanical Gardens, the workshop offers opportunities in image, surface, and pattern realisation and development.

Participants prefaced the experience by completing a case study on Munns’s work - published in the Senior Visual Art textbook ‘Creative Inquiry’.

In working with this accomplished Brisbane-based artist our students had the opportunity to explore contemporary and highly relevant media, techniques and processes. They developed authentic, localised imagery; drawing upon native seed pods as a stimulus. 

Such opportunities place our creative young minds at an advantage in the Senior Curriculum space.

Thanks goes to Ms Ganis and Ms McMullen for securing such an opportunity for our young artists.

Instrumental Music Camp 2024

Our intermediate and senior ensembles spent the first part of this week away on Music Camp. Our annual rehearsal camp is always a highlight in the calendar for our students and their teachers.

We had brilliant weather on Mr Tamborine and even though it was hot and humid, enjoyed both the opportunity to come together in their ensembles as well as during the camp activities. The ultimate tree climb was exciting as students raced each other up a giant gum tree and it was fantastic to see the teamwork needed to survive while “stranded” in a freezing cold (simulated) forest overnight. My favourite moment was watching my Year 8s, huddled together in their makeshift shelter during a storm, getting rained on (water flicked at them) by the camp teacher because they were exposed on their western side! All this while having mud smeared on their faces as insect repellent and trying to start a fire. It was very entertaining!

Of course, the real highlight was working in the ensembles with our students and seeing their rapid progress through new repertoire. Our camp concert on the last day is always an incredible showcase of their combined talents and we are already in good shape for our first concert and then Fanfare performances in Term 2. 

I would like to thank all the teachers who came on camp to support our students – Instrumental and Classroom Music specialists – Ms Dargusch, Ms Donovan, Ms Elsworth, Ms Fawns, Mrs Forgan, Mr Hartog, Mr Jarrott, Ms Davis and our intrepid colleagues Ms O’Brien, Mr James and Mr Mears. A jolly and dedicated crew who made the most of every opportunity to engage and encourage our musicians over the three days.

A huge shout out also to our Year 11 students who arranged and ran the annual Scavenger Hunt on the first night. It was huge fun and kept everyone entertained as they raced to complete the challenges. 

And, to our graduating class of Year 12 – your Trivia Night was next level! Thank you for an epic experience – so many laughs and surprising facts! This event gets better and better every year – you have certainly raised the bar!

Here are a couple of reflections from our students:

Music camp. It was amazing! Every single thing - the activities, the music, the people. You name it, it was all extremely awesome. Trivia night was my favourite by far. The dress-ups and general atmosphere was fantastic. There was a wedding group, teenage ninja turtles, Nintendo characters, suits and ties, the Lorax and significant music artists, dementors and pajamas. The Grade 12’s put on an amazing trivia that got everyone involved and hyped up. It was really loud and really fun. Overall, the music camp was an awesome experience, and I can’t wait to come back next year! Cate H and Indigo L (Year 8)

Over the past 3 days, the musical talent of the Gap State High School has been hard at work finessing their varied performances at the 2024 music camp. Music camp is an annual event where students from senior ensembles go on a 3-day camp to play, perform and engage in a number of camp activities. Highlights included the traditional scavenger hunt and trivia night run by the year 11's and 12's, and the end-of-camp performances, where each group gave a taster of their pieces to the rest of the cohort. Asymmetry, in particular, delivered a riveting performance of their new piece cyclone, which involves four students rotating around a pair of glockenspiels playing interchanging parts. Overall, the camp showed what music students at the Gap are truly capable of and was great fun for all involved. Owen B (Year 12)