On Wednesday 12 October, the College proudly opened the VCE Visual Arts Exhibition to students, staff, family and friends. Students work from Media, Product Design and Technology, Studio Arts and Visual Communication Design was on display and able to be watched on our large screens.
There is nothing better than being able to touch, feel and see up close the details and intricacies of the work on display. It’s also about sharing the conversation with the students; getting to understand the challenges, finding out where an idea started from or what made them decide to do it that way… It’s the creative journey that students travel on! The work displayed quality, hard work and exuberance that had gone into these ‘works of art’ and I include the Media work when I say this. The quality, excellence, diversity, uniqueness, and breadth of skills that was shown, was of a very high standard and I congratulate these creative, talented students. I congratulate them for their efforts this year, and hope that they continued their contribution to the arts in the future, even if it’s for their own enjoyment. I also thank the parents for your patience, encouragement, and support of these wonderful men during this year.
Each year we have three Awards given to students: the Principal’s Awards, Excellence Awards, and Commendation Awards, within each of the Visual Arts area of Media, Product Design and Technology, Studio Arts and Visual Communication Design.
Mark Murphy addressed the audience on Wednesday night, opened the exhibition, and presented Awards in the following categories to the students listed below:
| Award Category | Media | Product Design technology | Studio Arts | Visual Communication Design |
| Principal’s Awards | Chris Brand | Thomas Williams | Sam Kessler | Matthew Marek |
| Excellence Award | Paddy Pellegrino | Liam Gilmore | Sam Kessler | Andrew Kelly |
| Commendation Award | Rocky Gagliardi | Ed Fisher | Connor Scheid | Xavier Zugna |
| Special VA Commendation Award | Ed Fisher, who completed 3 folio subjects to a very high standard |
Finally, I would like to thank the three year 12 teachers who worked diligently with the boys throughout the year, encouraging, directing, instructing, and guiding them to creative solutions – Mr May, Mr Johnston, and Ms Haddrell.
The Visual Arts is a creative activity that expresses imaginative or technical skill. It produces a product, an object, a film. It’s very diverse, personal. It doesn’t just connect us to what’s inside ourselves, but also what’s inside someone else. Art can be uplifting, a source of inspiration, reflective, thought provoking and joyous. Art assist learners (from the very young person up to older adults) to develop motor skills, critical thinking, creativity, social skills, as well as the ability to think from different perspectives, of contemplation and introspection.
Mrs Roslyn Leach
Visual Arts Learning Leader
