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Art: Service

TEACHER INTERVIEW

Mr Boylan, why do you like teaching art at Bally so much?

I like teaching art at Bally because it's exciting. I get to work with some really great teachers to begin with. We have Miss Hamilton, she is bringing lots of new flavours to the art department, which is really really exciting. We also have Miss Leaney, who is a dedicated visual art teacher, she has some really good ideas and she has been teaching for a long time. To be able to share ideas with these teachers is fantastic. The reason why we like sharing ideas together (I guess this is going to sound cheesy) but we like working with the students here. The kids at Balgowlah Boys bring exciting stuff to the art room, they’re keen to work in their visual art lessons, their constantly doing innovative and even interesting things that keep our job
exciting and always changing.

What sort of things could a new Year 7 student expect when walking into a Visual Arts classroom for the first time?

WOW…… they’re interesting rooms because they were built many many years ago so there is kind of a clash of the old and the new. First of all, when they walk into the art classrooms they are going to see art works all over the walls from current year groups that have put their art up. They are going to see studio practice in action so they'll see the year 12 studio practice and the way that the older kids and the elective students are working within that space. They’re going to get an opportunity to use exciting materials that perhaps they didn't have access to in primary school or larger scale artworks that they might not have been able to do, as well as dedicated art classes that are tailored towards what we think year 7 and 8 students enjoy doing. So, we try to make our programs really broad so that you can really do what you like within a framework you know. Some kids like to draw, some kids don't and we try to cater for all of that. But back to the original question, it's about having a bit of fun and extending your learning in the visual arts.

Are the tests in visual arts challenging?
Yeah, everything in visual arts is challenging and we want it to be that way. So, in terms of the tests and exams we are actually trying to model all the way down to year 7, some of the skills and knowledge that you’ll need to understand visual arts. These are complex skills but they are also skills and knowledge that a lot of students bring with them from their past experiences and previous learning. Look the tests are challenging but they are challenging on purpose because we believe that it is good to learn and it is good to challenge yourself in areas of visual arts and everything. But the tests themselves, we don't just throw you in there and make you do it. We lead you to it and help you gain the skills and capacity needed to complete those tests.

What would a new year 7 student hope to gain by walking into an art classroom, other than developing better drawing or painting skills?
Good question, I think exposure to a number of types of visual art that might not have been accessible in primary school. We try to make every unit of our work connected to practicing artists and Australian artists or artists from overseas. So, I would say exposure to new materials that they might not have had in primary school. The other thing is that we aim to extend and push kids who have an interest in visual arts to find new areas that they might like.

What could a Year 7 at Bally expect for his first art project?
Well, if the program keeps running as it is, they’ll be doing a project based on insects. It’s called amazing entomology. We call it that because we want students to explore insects, as they are a really nice structural thing to be able to draw, and to paint, and to create digital
artworks based on those things. That project will allow students to draw, to use a range of drawing materials to work in digital media, and to create sculptures, both using clay and assemblage techniques, and on top of that, students can extend their practice into any area that they like.

We know you went to bally when you were a kid, can you remember any year 7 art lessons? If so what were they like?
I had some interesting art lessons here, I had a really, really good teacher that got me interested in seeing visual arts as a career. Two really good ones actually. I remember lessons with my teacher Miss Lee, and doing a lot of stuff. We did some drawing that I really, really enjoyed. I’ve always liked drawing. I remember those lessons quite clearly. I also had a teacher named Mr Mateovic and he was just a fantastic painter and he got me interested in painting too. It's lucky here at Bally to be able to do those things and to be exposed to that as a young person.

What type of artworks do you make as a student?
Over the years I have seen absolutely everything that could’ve possibly been made. From your traditional materials of drawing, painting, sculpture, to photo media, time-based forms, video, large scale graffiti works, and performance pieces. So, you’ll be exposed to all of that, and it sort of just depends on your own individual ideas on where you want to take it.

What are some pointers you could give a new Year 7 student about preparing themselves for the art classroom?
Come with an open mind and prepared to learn new things. The one thing I want you to think of is that when you come and say, “I can’t draw”, and you think that the whole of visual arts is about drawing and you get sort of uptight about that. A lot of people write off art before they even get there. For example, with skills like drawing, well I’ve got kids in year 12 who wouldn’t be able to draw a stick figure, yet they’ll go and get extremely good marks in the HSC. It’s not about that, it’s about exposing yourself to as many different art styles as you can. So, come with an open mind and come ready to enjoy the experience.

TOP 10 TIPS FOR SUCCESS IN VISUAL ARTS

Do not walk into visual arts thinking ‘this will be so boring’, because it usually isn’t.
Work consistently in class so you can pace yourself through the creation of your art pieces and won't have to rush through at the very end of term.
Don’t put yourself down by saying your artworks are bad or that you’re no good at drawing, because visual arts is a mixed media subject and there is something for everyone.
The lessons in visual arts prepare you for the tests and assignments so make sure you always put in your best effort in class.
If you don’t know something, the teacher will be able to assist you so don’t be afraid to ask.
If the teachers talk about something that you don’t understand, just like any other subject, you can just ask them and they will just explain it in another way.
Try to keep an open mind about your artwork, you will probably be your own biggest critic and other people may be able to see the beauty of your creations.
The things you do in visual arts vary, for example, you may be working on sculptures one week, then paintings the next. If you don’t enjoy what you are doing, you will probably be doing something different soon.
The art teachers are usually quite relaxed and approachable.
You don’t have to worry about forgetting your book, because the teachers usually store them somewhere for you in the visual arts classroom.

CREATIVE WRITING

I walked into my visual arts classroom for the first time, and was met by the bright, smiling face of my teacher, Miss Hogswrinkle. She told us to sit down while she marked the roll. I was scared that she wouldn’t be able to pronounce my name but when it came around, she said it perfectly. I think I now know why. The next thing we did was draw a self-portrait. Miss Hogswrinkle told us to pour our heart and soul into it, metaphorically of course. I didn’t think of myself as a good artist, so I tried as hard as I could. But once I had finished, I stared down at my creation with a look of disgust. I didn’t understand how I would ever do well in this class if all of my rubbish drawing produced only an abstract blob of grey and white on a canvas.

Miss Hogswrinkle walked around the table and asked to see my painting. Reluctantly, I showed her. After a few moments of confusion and surprise, her eyes gleamed.

“I love it”, she said. “I think it should be in a gallery”.

At first, I didn’t really understand why, but once it had been explained, I saw the other aspects.

The next day, I came out of maths and walked to the art room with a spring in my step. But when I got into the classroom, my heart dropped to my feet. My portrait was missing from its place on the nail in the back wall, and the room looked as if a hurricane had blown through it. I sprinted to the staff room and asked for Miss Hogswrinkle. The head of art, Mr Williams, told me she went to the police station to give an account of the ransacked classroom. I had to sit through an entire day waiting for her to come back.

Even though the school day only lasted six hours, I stayed after and waited more. It was nearly nine o’clock when Miss Hogswrinkle got back.

“It’s gone”, she said.

Then she mumbled something about being tired and that I should go home. I protested, because I had waited twelve hours for to tell me to leave.

I dropped down heavily on the only available bus seat, feeling down in the dumps about my painting. It had been the best artwork I had ever created and was very proud of it. But I guess it was too good, otherwise it wouldn't've been stolen. When I arrived at my stop, I got stepped off the bus, thanked the driver, and walked down the street to my house. Oh, and did I mention it was raining? It was dribbling down from the heavens on to the part of Sydney that I lived in… just my luck.

When I was only a few minutes away from my house, I spotted something strange. A small group of people were huddled in a tight circle at the end of a dark, sheltered alleyway. I thought it might be safer to just to ignore them and finish my journey home, but curiosity got the better of me. I snuck off to a side street that lead to a maintenance stairway that I had noticed some days earlier. I found it again and quietly tiptoed up. At the top, I had a bird’s eye view of the group. They stood around a painting. My painting. I was so excited that I ran over to get a better look and fell on the slippery platform. There was a massive crash and everyone looked up. I saw mostly unfamiliar faces, but I recognised one. The head of art, Mr Williams.

I heard some murmuring coming from the already gathering crowd. I hoped they couldn’t see me but they seemed to have noticed something was going on. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to get my painting back, but didn’t want to get into any sort of trouble, so I followed a piece of advice that I read in a book a couple of years ago. If you act as if you are meant to be somewhere, people usually assume you are. So, I casually walked down the stairs. Long story short; it didn’t work.

It is not every day that you see a dripping wet, thirteen-year-old boy walk down a maintenance staircase and be stopped by a police officer. That is probably why I was noticed. I got to the bottom of the staircase, and an official sounding voice boomed.

“What were you doing up there?”

I turned around and saw a massive crowd led by a police officer standing behind the stairs. I answered.

“They stole my painting”.

I turned back around but Mr Williams and the rest of his sly group had seemingly vanished.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Personally, I really enjoy visual arts. It has a wide range of subjects, most of which I am not very good at. Despite this, I still find the classes fun! In my first lesson, my teacher outlined what we would be doing throughout the semester, which helped me to keep focused throughout our lessons. In our first term we had to make clay sculptures of bugs by using old toys, cutting them up, and integrating them into our insect art pieces. I also like how relaxed our classroom feels but we still get lots of work done. We are even allowed to listen to music while creating our artwork!

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