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A Vibrant Spectrum

OBA Annual General Meeting

In the Junior School, students ranging from Pre-Kindergarten to Year 6 delve into the world of Visual Arts, exploring and responding to diverse art forms through creative expression.

The Creative Journey in the Primary Years Programme's Visual Arts

This dynamic form of communication is central to the Primary Years Programme (PYP), where students explore and construct a sense of self through imaginative inquiry. With an array of media and technologies at their fingertips, students are encouraged to communicate their ideas in innovative ways.

Experiences within the Junior School include sculptural form and pottery, painting and drawing, collage and mixed media, digital media and photography, and printmaking. Units are designed to facilitate skill growth and artistic concepts that are integrated with Units of Inquiry or stand-alone topics.

The Junior School Art curriculum has several exciting highlights, one of which is Kindergarten's investigation of self through colour, pattern, line, and movement, inspired by the work of Keith Haring. Hundertwasser's art and architecture are studied, providing a different perspective on how the world works through the examination of cities and buildings.

In Year 1, students explore growth, both personal and academic, with self-portraits and portraits of friends. Light in Art is a fascinating unit examining light's representation in art from various artists, including Caravaggio, Impressionists, and contemporary sculptor Chihuly. Year 1 students created a collaborative installation from recycled plastic bottles and pony beads, inspiring a chandelier-like structure representing light and Chihuly. Students learned how colour and light are interdependent through examining Kandinsky's circles, drawing their interpretations, and creating digital collages using PhotoBooth and SeeSaw.

Year 2 students delve into line, shape, and pattern's intricacies, turning these seemingly mundane artistic elements into something remarkable. Various abstract artists, including Bridget Riley and Lesley Dumbrell, inspire the students with their precise, skilled, and colourful material practice.

Year 3 students explore Indigenous symbols and artifacts, particularly the Riji shells from Northwestern Australia, as a source of inspiration for artwork that reflects their unique stories and cultural heritage.

In Year 4, students delve into history, Indigenous art and culture, exploring the impact of colonisation through the lens of art by looking at contemporary Australian artists. Students completed artworks by appreciating art from artists such as Joan Ross, who works across a range of media including video, installation, sculpture and drawing. They studied the work by Danie Mellor, known for his thoughtprovoking and multi-layered works that explore issues of identity, history, and the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia. Students created their art using various materials including watercolour, and pencils inspired by Indigenous art.

Year 5 students analyse the qualities of still-life objects represented by artists, investigating techniques used to create three-dimensional representations. Inspired by Wayne Thiebaud, they explore the use of colour and develop their technique of "halation" to achieve a brilliance of colour in their oil pastel drawings of similar subjects.

Finally, Year 6 students create drawings of past Australian Prime Ministers, culminating in a rich learning experience and interplay between ideas and skills to interpret leadership in visible form. Charcoal drawing materials and techniques, art styles, and facial proportions are all part of this fascinating Unit of Inquiry, with a visit to Parliament House's Prime Minister paintings adding depth to the learning experience.

The Junior School's Visual Arts curriculum embodies the PYP's philosophy, where students engage in creative expression, unlocking their imagination and developing critical thinking skills that support their learning and development. The kaleidoscope of colour and creativity awaits, providing students with a platform to express themselves, discover new ideas and perspectives, and construct their sense of self.