Art
We HeART Haiti Appeal
Please support the Haiti relief effort by buying an original Art or craft work from this site. All you have to do is email what you would be prepared to pay for a lot and the highest bid will win the item.
In your email include the lot number and title and the price you are willing to pay. The closing date for bids will be 20th March. After this time we will inform you whether or not you have been successful in winning an item.
You have nothing to lose, so have a go! All proceeds will go to the Haiti relief fund and when you pick up your Art work you will need to bring a cheque made payable to ‘Disaster Emergency Committee’ (The charity number is 1062638).
The date for picking up Art work will be 25th March at 4.00pm, however, other arrangements may be made for pick up.
Email your bids to: haiti-appealOXF@uk.gdst.net
Personnel
There are two full time members of the department, supported by a part-time art technician. The department regularly hosts PGCE students on placements.
Curriculum
The purpose of teaching Art in schools as outlined in the Gulbenkian Report in 1982 are identified by six main areas in which Art can make a 'vital contribution’:
- Developing the full variety of human intelligence;
- Developing the ability for creative thought and action;
- The education of feeling and sensibility;
- The exploration of values;
- Understanding cultural change and differences;
- Developing physical and perceptual skills.
Our aim is to promote the understanding and use of Art and Design as a visual language. This subject provides visual, tactile and sensory experiences and a unique way of understanding and responding to the world. Students at OHS will learn to make informed value judgements and aesthetic and practical decisions. They will explore ideas and meanings in the work of other Artists, crafts people and designers, learning about the diverse roles and functions of Art and Design in contemporary life, and in different times and cultures.
Through Art and Design activities students will develop a wide range of practical skills whilst exploring their own ideas for work in both 2 dimensions and 3 dimensions. As students progress through the school they will become increasingly confident and more independent in using the visual language to communicate their own ideas, feelings and meanings. Students have the opportunity to work in media as diverse as photography, film, clay, steel, plaster, oil paints and textiles.
Events
Each year we have an overseas visit to either Italy, Paris or Barcelona. These visits are used to support the critical and contextual work that students undertake for GCSE and A level.
Students’ Autumn Trips to Museums and Galleries
The Year 10 and 11 visit to the Oxford Natural History Museum and the recently refurbished Pitt Rivers Museum was a huge success. Year 11 were able to compare the beautiful surroundings in the museums with the building site back at school to generate interesting ideas for their projects based on the theme of ‘Surroundings’. Y12 and13 students visited the Saatchi Gallery and the Anish Kapoor exhibition at the Royal Academy in London. Our prospective art students had the fantastic opportunity to see behind the scenes into the MA Fine Art studios with one of our ex students.
Extra-Curricular Activities and Achievements
Art Club
There are numerous Art clubs and the students take advantage of the Art facilities both after school and at lunchtime. It is a valuable opportunity to gain extra support with coursework, enjoy working in a more relaxed manner and the younger students are supported and inspired by our Art scholar and other sixth form helpers. Generally biscuits are provided to help with inspiration!
Life drawing and observation drawing
Observation drawing is a fundamental aspect of Art and Design. We are lucky to be able to offer students the opportunity to do life drawing classes as part of their A level course. This not only ensures a rigorous approach to drawing but can also be used as a starting point for a unit of work. Students surprise us and themselves with the progress they make over two years!
Post A Level
So, is there life after A levels? This year we had a record number of students applying to art related post A level courses and we currently have students studying a wide range of Art related subjects at Universities and Art Colleges throughout the country including the Slade and Goldsmiths. We regularly receive visits from our past students and it is always a fascinating insight into the world of Art today.
Competition Winners
Congratulations to Alice Eccles and Eva Masmanian who have both recently won competitions with their artwork.
Eva had her “tweedle dum / tweedle dee” gargoyle design selected by the Bodleian Library. Her has been transformed from 2D to 3D by a stonemason and has joined other gargoyles on the library building.
Alice won a competition run by the Ashmolean Museum to promote awareness of the reconstruction of their galleries. Her work was reproduced on two Oxford buses.
Many thanks to all students who regularly support competitions and charity work through their work in Art Clubs and outside school.
