From the Visual Arts Department

Residential Art Excursion to Bundanon Trust

Last week, as part of the Stage 5 Visual Arts program, Ms Hiam, Ms Matteucci and Mr O’Keeffe accompanied Year 9 and 10 Visual Arts students on a residential Art camp at the Arthur and Yvonne Boyd Education Centre, near Nowra. Students took part in structured workshops run by practising artists and developed their creativity in the inspirational environment of Bundanon.     

We stayed at the Riversdale Education Centre and Art Museum site. This a beautiful environment located on the Shoalhaven river donated to the public by the iconic Australian artist Arthur Boyd. The newly opened Art Museum is embedded in the landscape, and houses a changing program of contemporary exhibitions. The students toured the current exhibition From Impulse to Action and participated in an evening drawing workshop responding to one of artists in this exhibition. The students were excited to spend the night in the newly completed contemporary building The Bridge, which was designed by the Australian Architect Kerstin Thompson. They also took part in a plein air landscape painting workshop run from the Boyd Education Centre, which designed by the architect Glen Murcutt whose work they have been studying. The location of the building looking over the Shoalhaven River was the perfect environment to inspire their art making.

For the final workshop the students walked into the local bushland and worked in charcoal to create some stunning reductive drawings.

The students all enjoyed the extended time creating art in such a beautiful natural setting and have returned to school with new technical skills that they can now apply to their own artmaking projects. The experience of viewing and analysing the various artworks at the Art Museum will also enrich their understanding of art history and criticism. 

We look forward to exhibiting the works which the students created in their workshops at the end of the year.

Student Achievement

Congratulations to Year 12 Visual Arts student Mia Underwood, who won the Student People's Choice Awards at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre’s "Blue Mountains Portraits” Exhibition. 

The exhibition is an annual celebration of the local community and its diverse members, and this year features ten of BMGS’ talented Visual Arts students: Mia Underwood, Angus Herron, Lily Van Der Poel, Eva Passlow and Josephine Hill, Lily McKay, Phoebe Hines. Sophie Milsom, Ellie Molla and Ana Swait. 

Mayor Mark Greenhill presented Mia with the award for her triptych self-portrait, Intangible Thoughts. Congratulations, Mia, on this fantastic achievement!

Mrs Julie Hiam

Acting Head of Visual Arts