Visual Arts & Design
Visual ArtsAt St Vincent's College Visual Arts is considered as an academic discipline contributing to the complete education of the young person. The study of Visual Arts provides young women from urban and country backgrounds with opportunities to develop as confident, reflective and independent individuals. Programming in the Visual Arts Department situates the rationale, aims, objectives and outcomes of the NSW Board of Studies Visual Arts Syllabuses within the particular Christian values expressed in the College’s Mission Statement. The pedagogical cycle of the Ignatian spirituality that underpins the Catholic ethos of the College presents us with a model of learning that moves through experience, reflection and action in a practice of education that is complementary to the aims of the syllabuses. Art as a disciplined mode of learning is concerned with matters of quality, value and significance. Imaginative interpretations of the world and reasoned critical responses made by teachers and students foster a learning environment that is based on respect for others' points of view, shared experiences, and the individual's unique preferences. In this way the study of Visual Arts promotes a reflective sense of the self and an awareness of action underpinned by justice. At St Vincent’s College Stage 4 Mandatory Visual Arts is taught to all students in Years 7 and 8, Stage 5 Elective Visual Arts is offered to students in Years 9 and 10 and Stage 6 Visual Arts is offered to students in Years 11 and 12. All courses are structured around the teaching of conventions and techniques of making art and the exploration of materials in relation to topics and concepts that engage students’ imagination. This firm grounding supports increasingly independent and skilful explorations of the power and pleasure of representation. Students are offered opportunities to experience the communication of ideas through the exhibition of their work. The practices of art criticism and art history assume increasing significance as students progress through Visual Arts courses. Their understanding of the values and beliefs which shape significance and meaning in artworks and art practice is supported by systematic teaching in the written forms through which knowledge and ideas about art are communicated. The Visual Arts Department offers students skills and experiences in a range of forms including painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, photography, digital media and animation. The Visual Arts Department is privileged in the size of our rooms which allow for separate studio space for senior students and in our proximity to Sydney’s major art galleries Design and TechnologySt Vincent 's College in accepting a special responsibility for the education of girls has committed itself to the holistic education of women. Consistent with this understanding is the requirement to provide girls with opportunities to develop their confidence and competencies in the KLA of Technological and Applied Studies. Technology is recognised as a significant component of modem western society and to restrict access to quality education for girls in this area would be to deny them the opportunity to fulfil their potential and participate fully in society. The fundamental notion of meeting our needs and the needs of other is seen to be a motivation for creativity and quality in design processes. It is through this reflective awareness of our own needs and a respectful openness to the needs of others that the Department addresses the Christian values of the College. Within the curriculum Design and Technology offers students experience of aspects of contemporary design practice. Programming strives to offer authentic design situations that require informed and realistic solutions. The Department has a commitment to the use of digital and graphic technologies in the communication of design ideas and solutions. St Vincent ’s College offers Stage 4 Mandatory Technology to all students in Years 7 and 8. The Stage 5 Design and Technology elective course is offered in Years 9 and 10, and Stage 6 Design and Technology is offered in Years 11 and 12. Technology and Design and Technology courses at St Vincent’s College set out to:
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