DARE – Year 6 Graduate Diploma students work alongside an Artist in Residence to turn a dull and lifeless fence into a vibrant mural.
The DARE – Year 6 Graduate Diploma is organised into eight Learning Areas with different learning activities under each stream. The My Voice Learning Area culminates in the presentation of nine DARE Learning Activities, of which one is an Artist in Residence Program.
This year’s Artist is our very own Sarah Casson, art teacher for Years 1 to 3. Sarah is an established, practising visual artist, working under the name Sair Bean. She creates bright and playful artwork both small scale as well as large public installations.
This year we chose the focus, how public art responds to the needs of the community and used the SPW core value of ‘Respect’ as the project concept. The aim was for the artwork to be relevant to the whole school community which was reinforced through collaboration with our Year 1 and 6 Artists.
Sarah began the unit with the Year 1s. The young Artists inquired into different ways Respect is displayed in our school and wider community. They responded using line, bold shapes and symbols to represent their ideas visually.
Following this, the Year 6 artists participated in a workshop with Sarah. They learnt about Sarah’s business ‘Sair Bean’, her artist processes and how she works with clients to create site specific pieces to fit certain contexts. The Year 6 Artists then interpreted the Year 1 drawings and ideas through their own lens of what ‘Respect’ could be in the community. They developed the concepts adding details, colour and compositional elements while still respecting and honouring the Year 1 Artist’s original design.
The Year 6 Artists chose a colour scheme for the mural and learnt some tips of the trade for painting on a large scale. During a full day workshop, they painted their contribution, with consideration to how their piece connects within the larger composition. The final 21-metre-long mural is a vibrant collaborative effort that showcases a truly student-centred artwork using the inquiry approach. The artwork has temporarily been installed on Baddams Hall for public viewing.
Article shared by Mrs Vann, Year 4-6 Art Teacher