Art & Design
Field Visits
- Artists of the week
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Claire Norton 9LMI
Amsterdam – Last February ½ term we visited all the cultural delights of this diverse and quirky city. Canal cruises, visits to museums, local and ethnic foods plus various flea markets. Students learnt about Dutch Art in the Van Gogh and Rijks museums.
- Year 11 visited a person’s garden in Northumberland.
- Year 10 a sculpture park near Leeds.
- Year 10 visited The Oriental Museum to gather ideas from other cultures.
- Year 12 visited Durham Cathedral to study its interior Fine Art Painting project in conjunction with Northern Architecture and Artist Bob Watson.
- Year 12 & 13 visited Harrogate to look at contemporary textiles and buy materials.
Links with Galleries
The Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art Continued to feature strongly in our links with mainly exam students – as follows.
- Year 12 worked on the interior making studies based on Bauhaus School principles and got to chat to an architect who helped design and build Mima.
- Year 10 visited the sculpture exhibition to get ideas for their 3D projects at GCSE.
- 4, Year 10 students worked in the Mima gallery with education staff during their summer works experience.
New Key Stage 3 Curriculum
The new requirements come into effect this term with Yr 7 and growing into Yr 9 by 2010. We have piloted the new orders which ask for “compelling” learning experiences, innovatory practise and links with other departments. Yr 7 and 8 looked at Science-Led sustainable technologies and built part shelter, part sculpture with willow. What could be more compelling than carving ‘ice’ as a response to global warming and the melting of the ‘ice’ as a response to global warming and the melting of the ice-caps? Yr 9’s took the opportunity to study local architecture, comparing plans for the new Middlehaven with Gateshead Quays. Watch out for the film of these 3 separate new curriculum changes on film – released here – in November!
Enrichments
Mainly Yrs 7, 8 and 9 benefited from a variety of Art and Craft clubs.
- Clay club was oversubscribed with students taking home their products after they were fired.
- History of Art club gave students a chance to broaden their art knowledge of artists.
- Drawing club saw students benefit form drawing from life in front of a model and older students came back for exam support. Photography classes saw students achieve very good grades at AS Level.
Our Exhibition Space
We are delighted with our new corridor gallery. If you haven’t already seen it, come up to the department and view the salon – style interior, complete with maroon red covered panelling from floor to old breeze block line. The space above this is white, to maximise the light. Our first exhibition is from a community group from Stockton who call themselves “full circle against discrimination” which shares space with our wonderful. Year 7 Art shoes located on podia.
The year ahead for exhibitions is as follows:
- September – October half term – Art from “full circle against discrimination” and Yr 7 shoe designs.
- October half term – Christmas –
- Yr 8 Artworks – “Head to Head”.
- Yr 7 Printworks – “Celebration”
- January to Easter – Staff art show – Surprising art by talented teachers and support staff.
- Easter to Whit – KS3 Exhibition of Year 9 students works.
- Whit to Summer holiday – Exam art – The Yr 11 GCSE, 12AS, 13AS, 12 Textiles & 13 Textiles – final show of candidates Art exam work.
Artist Residencies
Anne Mason has worked with Yr 7’s. Her work takes inspiration from the link between visual art and sounds.
Bob Watson worked with Sixth Formers during his residency using Durham Cathedral as a stimulus for some very adventurous painting.
Looking Forward 2008/09
Link with Middlesbrough Youth Theatre
Art teachers are using their first terms Enrichment to help our students produce willow sculptures for the MYT production “Pendragon” in November.
Visits
Paris in February, 42 students and 6 staff are taking the train from Darlington to Paris to look at the French capitals various cultures.
Department Staff
| Name | Position |
| Mr I Lightfoot | Head of Department |
| Mrs A Charlton | Second in Department |
| Mr K Moore | Full time Art and Design Teacher |
| Miss L Clapham | Full time Art and Design Teacher |
| Mrs E Spencer | Assistant to the Art Department |
| Mrs C Ellington | Displays Manager |
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