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We are not individuals - but parts of other things. Part of a family, a friendship, a situation, an event. We are all shaped by our experiences, influenced by the people who cross our paths and inspired by our surroundings. As artists, that influence and inspiration is presented outwardly to the world. Often commercialised, with a price attached to it. And sometimes commoditised; it’s worn, used, labelled, stored away, celebrated for a hot second and forgotten about when the next commodity is purchased. While many may disagree, in terms of appreciation, Art can be separated from the artist. It is possible to admire McQueen’s Fashion House without ever having known about McQueen’s Terraced House. But that doesn’t wipe clean the artist from the artwork. Artworks are saturated with the context and history in which it was created.
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UNPACKING FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT  1
How memory works- storage strength and retrieval strength are increased by restudying an item and / or retrieving it from memory. “Retrieval has a greater impact than re-study.” To avoid students’ perception being that they are overwhelmed by tests, ensure the framing of this is focused on retrieval practice and learning. Time must be built into the curriculum planning for retrieval and the flexibility needed to respond to feedback gained from students. 2 Decision-driven data collection, rather than data-driven decision-making. E.g. Rather than a formula that suggests all students with a certain score receive a particular intervention / action, instead decisions are made about interventions and data supports / questions that decision. RESTORATIVE PRACTICE  1
Restorative Practice isn’t the same as Restorative Justice / Judgement. - it has changed a lot since it was first introduced to schools / communities several years ago. More focused on ensuring positive change and productivity as a result of working “with” students / teachers / parents, rather than “to” or “for” them. There is a consequence. 2 We can’t always be Restorative, but we should recognise when we’re leaning into Punitive, Neglectful or Permissive. - we’re not perfect or robots, but we should acknowledge and check ourselves (or each other) when we know we’re not being restorative. MINDFRAMES FOR LEADERS  1
Labelling has a negative impact. - Almost everything we do as teachers, impacts learning positively (95-98%). Labelling does not. It creates self-limiting beliefs and teacher bias. In turn, not labelling students has a positive impact (0.61) Consider this when thinking about…
The research :
 [article for ANZA Singapore, 18-01-23]
When hearing the word ‘enrichment’ in a school context, most picture students taking part in sport, the arts and the myriad other extracurricular activities that are on offer in the best institutions. Enrichment is often perceived as something that happens outside of the classroom. However, this perception can have two damaging effects on school life. First, it can relegate sport and the arts to mere co-curricular activities that are there to give students an escape from their studies. They become add-ons, rather than academic disciplines in their own right, which they absolutely should be. Second, it can lead to a culture in which academic learning is confined to the classroom, and to timetabled lessons, which it absolutely should not be. During what is Human Rights week this week, I was inspired to take the opportunity of delivering a McCabe as a chance to develop my own knowledge and understanding of the relationship between Human Rights and Art. And there nestled between Education (article 26) and social order (article 28) sits the arts (within article 27). I was purposefully explicit in noting where this article can be found within the declaration- between education and social order. Because I initially found this to be jarring. Education and social order are so fundamental and found within the material realm along with shelter, food and other practical necessities- vital for survival. Whereas Art, Art surely belongs in a more intangible world as something much more transcendental. How could something so metaphysical be relevant to our basic rights as humans? So, is access to art a privilege rather than a right? A want, not a need? It's safe to assume that many would consider Art to be subservient to many of the other rights, like education and social order. And I have often seen the judgemental glint in the eyes of those who ask what I teach, when I reply with - Art. My role as Art Educator is probably seen as a paradox in itself... [written for Collegiate, NLCS International Teaching, Learning and CPD Journal, Issue 2, July 2022]
My favourite pedagogical reads are those uncomplicated papers or books that give words to simple thoughts. On reading Richard Gervers’s Education- A Manifesto for Change, it was the phrases ‘assumed excellence’ and ‘assumed incompetence,’ that created a linear model in my mind on which I immediately started to plot my own practice. In the classroom, when we offer support or frameworks to all students as opposed to those identified as needing them, we are assuming an incompetence. When challenging all students to complete the task without the frameworks, then target the support as students need it, we are assuming excellence. As a school that has a guiding statement to offer our students ‘floors, not ceilings’, this reflection is not only relevant but crucial in our awareness of stretch and challenge in the classroom. So, what about the implied assumptions made in our Professional Development provision? Surely our teachers not only deserve this differentiated approach but also the assumed belief that they are highly capable educators and subject specialists. 'An Italian-British artist, Lavinia Harrington is presently completing her MFA in Painting at the Slade School of Fine Art in London. She graduated from Oxford University with a degree in the History of Art in 2008, and two years later gained her MA degree at the Courtauld Institute of Art. She has fifteen years of experience working in arts education; delivering public talks for the National Gallery in London and teaching in museums, galleries and schools across the United Kingdom and Italy.' www.stephenongpin.com/artist/247611/lavinia-harrington (18.06.22) The chair of Her Art Society (Solaia, G10), organised a webinar with Harrington in which students were guided through "A Conversation about Womens' Bodies in Painting." The session was incredibly enlightening and the enthusiasm in the room was palpable.
“When I began my work in 2001, there were 2.4 billion people without access to proper sanitation which then increased to 2.6 billion. Now, it is 2.4 billion and going down… We cannot stop until every single human being on the planet has access to proper sanitation wherever they are.” - Prof Jack Sim, Founder and Director of WTO (World Toilet Organisation. After watching his movie, Toilet: The World's #2 Man, students were enthralled and inspired. by Prof Sim's energy, humour and passion. A very worthwhile way to spend our Academic Enrichment session!
I saw the Seagram Murals by Mark Rothko for the first time in the summer of the year 2000 when I was 17 (Don’t try to do the maths!) I could recognise a Rothko but that was all I knew of his work- what it looked like. As I entered the Rothko room with my classmates, we did the usual slow gallery walk around the room. I sat down on the bench and my classmates plodded out, leaving me on my own. I stared at one of the dark red paintings until I’d lost track of all time. And then completely unexpectedly I burst into tears. Full on ugly crying ... A virtual exhibition (as part of the Arts Festival for which the theme is Change) celebrating our first year of Visual Arts at NLCS (Singapore). The video is narrated by students from grades 6 to 10, explaining what Art means to them... 'Art is creation in it's very essence. It is the blooming of ideas from one's mind. From the past, the present and the future. The hurting and the healing. The unknown and the known. Translated, articulated to something tangible to the senses. Art is all around us - human creation that is. To me, Art is a window to the beautiful landscapes of one's beautiful mind.' "Beware of artists. They mix with all classes of society and are therefore most dangerous" - Queen Victoria It's true, we are a dangerous type. However, I don't think our danger lies solely in our ability to mix with all sorts, but rather our ability to manipulate many. Artists are trusted far more than we should be. For example, take the work of Erwin Wurm. He set up plinths in galleries with an illustrated instruction suggesting that visitors should hold a pose with completely random objects for 1 minute at a time. Calling these works 1 Minute Sculptures, he note only change the expectation of what a sculpture should be he changed the expectations and role of the viewer. Not only from passive to participant, but from observer to being the artwork itself. Contemplating this idea of changing expectations all Senior School Art Students spent a week creating their own 1 Minute Sculptures for this Arts Festival exhibition. Now, coming back to the Queen Victoria quote and how artists are dangerous, while all of the SS Art students listened intently to a curator wax lyrical about Wurm's work, and then spent a lesson responding to and replicating his poses, there was one feature about Wurm's work that I might have failed to mention. And that was his interest in manipulating people. Using the power of his position as an artist and the power of the institution as a museum, he manipulated people to perform utterly ridiculous tasks mainly just to see if he could. So, here I am. Using my position as an Art Teacher and the power of the institution as a school, to manipulate you... the students, to make you perform utterly ridiculous tasks mainly just to see if I could. And without question or concern from a single soul, this happened... "...listening to Hockney I too have always known that I look at the world. I see things and I notice. In between photos of interesting cracks in the pavement, or a really big leaf, my phone is full of photographs of the fourth floor corridor around 7am. At that time, the sun hits the windows on the east and the light spills in through the windows of the classroom doors. And the warmth of that orange light is so beautiful, that a photograph never does it justice and I'll probably continue to be amazed by it every time I turn the corner. And a lot of you, are exactly the same! You see things, you notice. When Solaia in Grade 9 asks me to take a photograph of the soggy bit of paper she's been using to wipe her paintbrush on... that's her seeing something beautiful in the world. And when Rohan in Grade 8, spends the majority of the lesson adding paint to water droplets and watching it disperse and disappear, and grow into blobs, instead of doing the painting like I asked him to and then proceeding to giggle when he knows that I've noticed and still continues to watch the paint disperse in the water droplets... that's him seeing something beautiful in the world. And when Emil in Grade 7 notices that all of the objects that his teammates have collected for their group installation are all associated with childhood and that actually the temporary nature of their artwork could actually reflect the transient nature of their own childhood's... that's him seeing something incredibly beautiful in the world. So on World Art Day, pay attention. You don't have to change the world, for now just pay attention. Look at the light, look at the people, the buildings, look at nature and see something beautiful in the world. Written by Solaia Suherman, Grade 9, for the Buss Brief Newsletter The Her Art society is an exploration of the lives, stylistic choices, beliefs, values, and concepts of the great female artists of yesterday and today — through which we can use their art as a window to learn, discover, and grow. “I’ve always wanted to learn more about women artists, often finding myself pondering upon the questions -- Why does Yayoi Kusama paint polka dots? What was Meret Oppenheim trying to say when she covered a teacup in a Chinese gazelle’s fur? How did Frida Kahlo weave symbolism into her work? What was the place of female artists in society: past and present? Through this society, we discuss and even answer questions like these. To embark on an exploration of female artists and their ideas will not only lend us the reflection of the world, but also the discovery of our own place in it. Ultimately, great art is a reflection of humanity. It captures its time and evokes their values. It grants us an understanding of the ever-changing world in which we’re surrounded by. Appreciating art isn’t merely a matter of aesthetic — it is the unveiling of the underlying message conveyed through it. So, I hope that others, as well as myself, can hold on to these words whilst we embark on this exploration of female artists. After all, art always goes back to humanity.” During the Chinese New Year break, the Her Art society set out on a visit to OTA Fine Arts, (Gilman Barracks), to view an exhibition by the sensational Yayoi Kusama. The artist showcased 15 of her monochrome paintings from her My Eternal Soul series (2019-2020), as well as CLOUDS (2019), a sculpture installation of mirror-finished stainless-steel forms. Given that we have been learning about Kusama, her life, and her work, the exhibition was a perfect opportunity to see some of what we have been discussing in the flesh. Indeed, we had a great amount of fun talking, looking, pondering, and learning during the visit. Kusama’s work evoked beauty in pattern and repetition that inspired us all — truly, a memorable afternoon spent.
Urine, feaces, tears, blood, hair, skin– the human body has been used not merely as the subject of art works, but also as the substance. The way this has occurred has been diverse in terms of appearance and art-making practices, encompassing casting and sculptural processes, drawing, painting and photography. As diverse as they are, the artworks we’ll explore today have one thing in common: they are all considered to be examples of what we term “biomaterial” artworks. Human bodily materials are invested with highly symbolic cultural association and complex emotional entanglements, so the use of human biomatter as an art medium opens up an intriguing opportunity to reflect upon the relationships between materiality, aesthetics and most interestingly, ethics. How do artists get away with it? The Year 13s should have held their end of course Visual Arts exhibition over the last two weeks. Of course, we have had to cancel the show and the students have felt a real sense of anti-climax as their IB Art journey is now over. So, here is a different kind of exhibition for us to reflect on their Visual Arts journey and give Year 13 the sense of achievement and celebration that they so deserve!! The video is only a 1:45 snapshot, but it means a lot to them to know that they have been seen and heard!  On hearing about the “Zero Waste” focus of this year’s Founders Day, the Year 9 students spent this term researching, investigating and creating bio-degradable sculptures with a scientific twist. The students were presented with a live design brief- to create a sculptural outcome that informs or raises awareness about one of the UN Sustainability goals that correspond to our new Dulwich Sustainability Goals. Faced with a number of constraints, everyone quickly became enthused and focused. To ensure the sculptures were structurally sound, aesthetically striking and supported by sound theory, the project was completed during both Art and Science lessons. Working in teams, students assigned themselves into roles of responsibility to not only complete the task, but to excel.
Kris, one of the group leaders was very proud and impressed by the effort and focus of his group. “Because issues regarding our world such as global warming and endangered animals have become so significant, I believe raising awareness to the public is definitely needed and doing this through making our own inventions and creating them with decomposable material was an amazing proposal. Being the group leader was not easy, but it was enjoyable. After we decided our roles, everyone started with real confidence and commitment.” Juna, another group leader added, “Thanks to the Art and Science project we were able to learn very useful life skills such as much need collaboration. Due to having two large groups and the effort required to complete the task, everyone had to invest our energy and thought into making the project successful. I felt that the team led itself, rather than me being the sole conductor. It was my first time leading a group of such numbers, but thanks to everyone’s efforts I felt in control and relaxed.” The outcomes more than met the brief and Bea was clearly impressed with the level of knowledge and innovation demonstrated throughout the project. Our animators of the future had the privilege of meeting ‘Tonko House’ animator, Robert Kondo on Monday. During his visit, a lucky group of Senior School artists were involved in a fascinating and inspiring ‘question and answer’ session. The ex-Pixar artist spoke of his impressive portfolio working on films such as Monsters University and Ratatouille, as well his Academy Award nominated film with ‘Tonko House,’ The Dam Keeper. Our students gained valuable insight into the processes and demands of working as an animation artist and were undoubtedly inspired by his creative journey.   Jet lag gave way to excitement, fun and creativity for our six travelling artists last month at the 400 Year Olympiad hosted by Dulwich College London. After an exhausting journey to the UK, our artists (along with the rest of the DCSL team), dived straight into the very best of London’s Art and Cultural scene with a tour starting at the National Gallery, heading through Southbank and ending at the Tate Modern. On arriving at Dulwich College London, the artists were amazed by the impressive architecture of the college itself. They were quickly put to work during an “Art Hijack,” in which fortune cookies revealed a hidden drawing task to complete on a postcard. These then became part of a large installation displayed in one of the historic halls. The majority of the artists’ time was spent in their workshops in which they worked alongside professional artists including puppet maker, Sian Kidd and ceramicist, Sarah Christie. A personal highlight for me, was meeting and learning from silversmith, Sari Rathel. The conceptual nature of her pieces combined with absolute mastery, is so inspiring. Possibly the most impressive qualities demonstrated by our artists during this time wasn’t necessarily their creative competence or innovation, but their confidence, humour and compassion. All six students fully embraced every opportunity to work with adults and other students that they had only just met, clearly having a great time in the process. We even managed to squeeze in another trip to Southbank to visit the Hayward Gallery and spend time with the art students from DCB. One student in particular demonstrated enormous amounts of courage and composure, when she took to the stage at the closing ceremony. Speaking in both Korean and English, Suan bravely made a speech about her Art experiences in front of the other colleges in the spectacular Great Hall. The trip was a truly memorable experience that I’m sure has impacted our creative and international perspectives.
Thank you and well done, to our six international artists! |
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