Caroline Chisholm School News Feed - Latest News in Visual Art

Community project commission with Wootton Parish Council

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 10:53:38 GMT

Towards the end of last academic year, we were approached by Wootton Parish Council with a proposal to help them enhance the look of the recreation ground, by painting a mural on the shelter. Our A level Fine Art students were given a brief by the Parish Council, and then they set about producing designs in response.

The chosen entry was a joint design by Johanna Maoko and Meryem Sezer in Year 13. The Parish Council then disassembled the shelter and transported it to CCS where the students were able to begin work on it in the lower E block gallery area. Due to their A level commitments, Johanna and Meryem had to hand over the reigns to our Year 12 Fine Art students. Thomas Atkinson, Abby Wood, Sophie Tizzard, Hannah Denness and Abi Larner all helped paint the design, in conjunction with Teacher Mr Dawson and Art Technician Minnie Teckman.

We are delighted to say that the shelter has just been re-erected in the recreational ground in Wootton for the whole community to enjoy. The Parish Council are absolutely thrilled at the outcome, and we look forward to more collaborative community work with them.

Update from Year 12 on Royal Academy of Art attRAct

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 10:07:08 GMT

"The weekend before the Easter holidays, I had the incredible opportunity to attend a workshop led by artist Elinor Stanley. This experience was a little out of my comfort zone as the subject matter - people - is not something I typically explore. Despite this, I loved every minute.
During the workshop, we were able to meet Elinor and gain insight into her unique art style, which was enhanced by a visit to the Royal Academy’s collection. Here, we were able to engage in some intriguing discussions about various works featuring people. This allowed us to compare different perspectives, approaches and art styles, implementing these within the workshop. Furthermore, there was a huge emphasis on not solely focusing on our reference images, which I found beneficial in remaining creative. For me, it was extremely valuable to focus on the process rather than the final result.

This workshop provided me with a breadth of new skills and techniques, particularly within oil painting, which I look forward to experimenting with and incorporating into my future A Level studies. " - Lisa Owen, Year 12

Year 12 shares her AttRAct experience

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 11:04:08 GMT

As part of the AttRAct programme and the RA’s Young People’s Summer School, I am enjoying exploring new art styles and exposing myself to unfamiliar techniques, outside of the school curriculum. It has been an amazing opportunity to be inspired by and network with likeminded creatives my age, as well as broadening my horizons with regards to a future in the creative industries.

Through the diverse and welcoming environment in AttRAct, I have the ability to connect with highly distinguished professionals, gaining some amazing opportunities. Last week, I was able to view the library, archives and collections which are not currently available to the public, which was a huge privilege. We were able to take photos and I really valued the experience of analysing some of the artworks as a group. In addition to learning some of the key history behind the art and the RA itself, which was extremely insightful.

I am looking forward to the brilliant year ahead with a variety of trips, gallery visits, portfolio reviews and workshops coming up in the very near future!

Lisa Owen
Year 12 Fine Art student

The Royal Academy of Art one-year AttRAct programme of study

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 12:06:42 GMT

The Visual Art department currenty have four students applying for the Royal Academy of Art's one-year attRAct programme of study. The four students are: Reuben Kerry (Year 13), Aadam Hussain (Year 12), Lisa Owen (Year12) and Rosina Adinkra (Year 12). All the students were invited to interview at the Royal Academy in London and are now waiting to hear if they have been accepted onto the course. If they do secure a place, they will attend once a month (last Saturday of the month) either online or in person at the Royal Academy. They will have the opportunity of working collaboratively with other like-minded students, meet professional artists, complete a series of diverse workshops, attend group discussions and tutorials, have portfolio reviews and even have work experience placements organised for them. We are keeping our fingers crossed that our students manage to get offered this fantastic opportunity by one of the world's most prestigious Art establishments, and we will update this article once we hear back from the Royal Academy.

Stowe House Preservation Trust Art Competition

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 12:06:04 GMT

Congratulations to our Year 9 students who took part in the art competition.

Yesterday evening we all attended the Private View and prize giving for the exhibition at Stowe House. It was lovely to see all our students and parents in attendance. Extra congratulations to Adrianna Britton who won for our school.

The exhibition will be open to the public this summer and thousands of visitors to Stowe House will see our students' artwork. The following students took part: A Birca, ABritton, E Landeryou, F Lodge, E McNally, E Mehaffy, E Meridith, R Parmar, N Prashant, I Sawer, A Macrea and E Weng. We look forward to taking part again next year.

Young Artists’ Summer Show at the Royal Academy

Wed, 8 May 2024 10:48:05 GMT

The Visual Art department is delighted to announce that we have just been informed by the Royal Academy that Thomas Atkinson (Year 13) has had his work accepted into both the online exhibition and also the in-house summer exhibition at the Royal Academy itself. 31 students from CCS sent in artworks to the competition (which is the largest number to date) and we would like to thank them all for producing such lovely work and participating in this event. Over 21,500 young people nationally submitted work for the Youth Summer Show this year.

This is a huge achievement for Thomas, and we are incredibly proud of him. This is the second time that Thomas has managed to be accepted by the Royal Academy; the first time was to participate in the “attRAct” one-year online program of study, which he completed last year.

The youth exhibition at the Royal Academy will run from 16^th July – 11^th August and Thomas’ work will be viewed by thousands of people worldwide online and also in person.

Well done Thomas!

Tamil Pongal celebrations

Thu, 8 Feb 2024 11:54:13 GMT

The KS3 Art after school club have been practising paper craft this term, creating some beautiful decorations for Tamil Pongal celebrations.

After researching Pongal pot patterns and discussing the meaning behind Tamil Pongal, the club used coloured card and added collage patterns to paper pot shapes. Large sugar cane trees and a large cardboard Pongal pot formed part of the set for photo opportunities. It was a great opportunity to learn about a different culture and to be involved in the wider community.

Year 12 Sophie secures her place on Royal Academy of Art “attRAct” programme

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 08:59:19 GMT

We are delighted to announce that Sophie Francks in Year 12 has been accepted onto the Royal Academy of Art “attRAct” one-year online programme of study.

KS3 Art Club - Sculpture

Wed, 18 Oct 2023 08:54:47 GMT

In Key Stage 3 Art Club, we have spent the first term looking at sculpture. Students have had the opportunity to explore a variety of materials; this has included making snails from clay, mod-roc figures and paper sculpture inspired by the artist Charles McGee. The students have produced some fantastic results. Next term the art club will be exploring printmaking.

- Mrs Gee

Christmas Card Project

Wed, 18 Oct 2023 08:39:26 GMT

Students across Key stage 3 have been busy getting into the Christmas spirit by designing their own Christmas card for a project supported by CCS friends. We have seen a fantastic range of designs across the three year groups!

Sales from these cards will raise additional funds for the school. I think you will agree that the below images demonstrate fantastic creativity from our young artists.

- Mrs Gee

Paper sculptures in KS3 Art Club

Wed, 4 Oct 2023 09:17:34 GMT

In response to the theme of pattern and Charles McGee’s incredible sculptures, assemblages and paintings, the KS3 Art Club created patterns on an A4 sheet of paper and then reassembled them as these eyecatching paper sculptures (pictured above).

Each week the art club creates something new to engage the students, they have recently had the opportunity to work with clay and soon they will be using modrock to fashion little figurative sculptures. KS3 Art Club is after school on Tuesdays in E1.

Harriet Smart: looking back on my journey through CCS and how my art has evolved

Mon, 2 Oct 2023 08:10:23 GMT

Harriet Smart started her educational journey at Caroline Chisholm School in Foundation Stage, September 2009, and left our school at the end of Year 13 in July 2023. She is a fantastic example of how students can benefit from our all-through school, remaining in the same school setting throughout their entire school years, from age 4 up until 19. Her teachers have been able to see her blossom and grow throughout her primary and secondary years, as well as witness her thrive in her GCSEs and A Levels.

We are pleased to share with you below some snapshots looking back at Harriet's artwork, and how this has evolved from her first year in Reception, right up to her submissions for A Level Art. Harriet has also shared a few words about how she feels being at CCS has shaped the person she is today. Please enjoy!

From the very start, Harriet was passionate about art and exploring her creative side. Many school reports and observations noted her keen interest in art and how she enjoyed playing at the painting table.

Her love for this subject continued throughout her education, at GCSE and into A Level, where she picked to study Fine Art. Her critical essay in Year 13 looked at how contemporary artists have transformed the face of portraiture. Pictured below is some of the artwork Harriet created for this project.

Royal Academy of Art attRAct one-year online programme of study

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 21:35:48 GMT

Nationally, all students aged 15-19 were eligible to apply for this prestigious opportunity. After their letter of application was received, the shortlisted students then had to prepare a response to a set task, ready for an online interview. Abby Wood and Thomas Atkinson (both in Year 12) secured places and embarked on this programme of study towards the end of January. The course includes workshops with well-known contemporary artists, discussion groups, work placement opportunities and the completion of practical tasks, all of which can be included in their A level Fine Art portfolio. This follows on from our success last year, when two of our Year 11 Photography students completed the attRAct programme of study.

Abby and Thomas have written a synopsis below of their experiences so far and included images of work undertaken.

Royal Academy Youth Summer Show 2023

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 21:36:06 GMT

This year, 47 students from CCS entered the prestigious Royal Academy Youth Summer Show national competition, with a wide variety of exciting and hugely creative artworks.

We are delighted to announce that Jack McNair (9GOE) has had his work accepted into the online exhibition. This is a remarkable accomplishment, given the number of entries nationally. Please see Jack’s submission above titled Wine Bird.

Huge congratulations to Jack from the Visual Art department.