Fostering Gifted Artists

A Wenona pilot program is targeting artistic exceptionalism.

While school-based gifted and talented programs abound, schemes to develop high-potential artists are considerably rarer.

Through professional mentors and stimulating real-world tasks, Wenona’s new Visual Arts Talent Development program differentiates learning outcomes for artistic students.

The launch session took the students to the rich historical sites of Luna Park and Cockatoo Island to explore the theme ‘Decadence and Decay’. Fifteen students worked under the guidance of sought-after artist Ms Amber Hearn, a finalist in the Glover Art Prize, Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, and the Blacktown City Art Prize, and Head of Department Visual Arts, Photography and Digital Media Ms Michele Brennan.

Using a list of potential artistic provocations, the students concentrated their gaze on the visual contrast between the art deco lines of Luna Park and the peeling industrial spaces of Cockatoo Island, searching for a “frisson, or a new way to engage with a sense of place”, according to Ms Brennan. The event concluded with a group brainstorming session to capture everyone’s visual inspirations and artistic perspectives as a result of the experience.

The program continued with weekly three-hour workshops throughout Term 3. The girls’ artistic response to sites remained the focus, as they turned their attention to spaces within the School, engaging with and transforming them in innovative ways. The program concluded with an exhibition of the students’ work at the beginning of Term 4.