VISUAL ART
Cindy Britz (Head of Department)
MFA HDE (Rhodes)
All the pupils in the Junior grades at SAC and the DSG do art. Those who choose to do art as a matric subject do so from Grade 10 through to 12.
The Junior Art Course includes extensive work in art and craft projects applicable to that age group. Projects, geared to the Outcome Based Education programme, include painting, drawing, linocuts, silkscreening, leatherwork, woodcarving, copperwork, glass painting, collage, wire work, decoupage, and a host of other exciting and interesting activities.
The Senior Art Course is divided into a practical and a theory of art component.
The practical projects in the Grade 10 foundation year include drawing, painting, pastel, etching and textile printing. Subject matter includes still-life, figure, conceptual and perceptual studies with an emphasis on drawing.
In Grades 11 and 12 learners continue as in Grade 10 but choose the medium in which they prefer to work.
The history of art course covers architecture, painting and sculpture from the earliest times right through to the present day in both the International and Southern African contexts.
The final Matric Art Exam consists of a portfolio of practical work plus a practical exam piece. Visual Journals, which record the growth of each practical project from inception to completion, must also be presented. Each learner also does a history of art project covering an artist or an aspect of Southern African art and also takes part in an Art Experience where he justifies the project to the examiner. Then, finally, the learner writes a three- hour history of art exam paper.
It takes an enormous amount of time and dedication to complete the Senior Art Course and those who think art is a soft option are often in for a very rude awakening. Only those with a real ability in drawing and those who are prepared to put in many extra hours of work should consider doing art as a matric subject.
SAC and the DSG have been consistently recognised as one of the top Art Departments in the country and the matric results have been outstanding with numerous distinctions gained in both the practical and history spheres.
Facilities at the DSG consist of a large Art Room and stockroom as well as a pottery area. There is also a separate room for graphics which houses the printing press.
At SAC there is a Junior Art Room and a Senior Art Room, as well as a large stockroom. All history of art is taught in the Major Audio-Visual Room next to the library.
The Art Department has its own comprehensive web page with links to artists and movements in the history of art syllabus. Practical matric portfolios can also be viewed on the web page and excursions, like those to the Owl House in Nieu-Bethesda (part of the matric syllabus) or to Maureen Quin’s sculpture garden in Alexandria, can be accessed.
During the Grahamstown Festival learners have the opportunity to visit and talk to many diverse artists and to see numerous art exhibitions, all within easy and safe walking distance of the schools.
Visual Arts is a very intensive and time-consuming subject, which should be chosen only by those who are genuinely interested in the subject.
Visual Arts involves both practical work and History of Art, with half the final marks allocated for History of Art and half for the practical component.
Practical work includes painting, drawing (in a number of different mediums) and etching. Pupils are required to have a marked artistic ability in drawing, which is the basis for all practical work. All pupils work towards fulfilling practical portfolio requirements.
History of Art (which includes Visual Literacy) requires a good memory for visual images and the ability to look critically, interpret and respond to these images in fluent written English. A historical study is made in the area of architecture, painting and sculpture from ancient to modern times from both International and South African sources.
The study of Art enhances one’s aesthetic appreciation of the world in general and artistic creations in particular. Skills obtained in this subject will unlock your creativity and last a life time, and enable you to lead a fuller and more complete life.
It also forms the basis for such careers as architecture, clothing design, graphic design (including advertising), industrial design, interior design, TV production, photography, working in the IT industry, and all areas of professional art, e.g. painting, graphics, pottery, sculpture and associated crafts. The success of a pupil’s application for admission to a tertiary institution to study Art, Architecture, Advertising, Graphics and all the other subjects mentioned here, will depend largely on the quality of the portfolio submitted.
Kelly Long represents South Africa 10th May 2012
Kelly Long represented South Africa at the 5th International Sustainable World Project Olympiad in the USA
