Our Year 8 Visual Art students engaged with two significant exhibitions at the Art Gallery of South Australia late last term.

Students connected with the skills and sensitivity seen in “Dangerously Modern”; an exhibition celebrating the dozens of young Australian women artists who left Australia for Europe in the 1890s to 1920s in search of new artistic, professional and personal experiences. Our students gained an understanding of the significance of the role these Australian women played in shaping the global art movement now known as Early Modernism.

Students also viewed the 'Ramsey Art Prize 2025'; an exhibition of works by current Australian artists under 40 working in a range of media. Students enjoyed the conceptual ideas in this exhibition and were particularly impressed with prize winner Jack Ball, who won the $100,000 prize for his work “Heavy Grit’.

Another group of students visited the Jam Factory and were fortunate to see artists at work in their studios and connect with the exhibition ‘Melting Point’, featuring works focused on contemporary jewellery and object making.

In their study, students responded to artworks they found a connection with and those works that challenged them. Their responses have led to further class discussions on art practice and using a wide range of media and ideas to express oneself.

As teachers, we were impressed with how students conducted themselves on the day and how earnestly they responded to a range of artworks. The excursion also emphasised how important it is for students to have real-life experiences to extend their understanding of art and its connection to the real world.

Terri Moore
Visual Arts Teacher