Art
The overall aim of the Art and Design Department is to create a stimulating and intellectually vigorous environment in order to create artistic skills, critical judgement and the application of creative intellect. We do this in an educationally disciplined manner but in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. It is the intention that all pupils fulfil their potential and surpass their expectations.
We see ourselves as an integral part of the community. We create exciting, vibrant and creative studio space for pupils, staff, parents and visitors to use throughout the day. We are rightly very proud of our achievements and have an enviable track record of success at examination level as well as in national competitions.
Nick Eggleton
Head of Art & Design
Educational Visits
Where possible we try to get our pupils out of the confines of the Art & Design Department to see the work of artists, designers and craftspeople at first hand. If this is not possible then we endeavour to get practitioners into the art studios to lead and inspire pupils.
We do this in a variety of ways. We organise trips to local, national and international museums and art galleries. These are to see special exhibitions or to see a collection as a whole. These are mainly targeted at examination pupils although we have taken younger pupils out to local venues. Where possible we try to relate the exhibition to the work that they are currently doing or use it as a starting point at the beginning of a new project.
Pupils get an opportunity in Godolphin Sixth to visit the museums and art galleries of Paris although we have run other trips in the past to Berlin, Amsterdam, Prague, Florence and Sienna.
Recently we have started to take our Lower Sixth pupils to Cornwall or Liverpool on alternate years. This is a residential course giving pupils the opportunity to see work at first hand and to research different areas of study at the start of their AS course. These have proved highly successful and have led to some really strong portfolios of work.
There are regular visits to London to see the major collections. These in the past have included:
The Tate Modern, The Tate Britain, The Courtauld Institute, The Royal Academy, The Victoria and Albert Museum, The National Gallery, The Crafts Council, The ICA, The National Portrait Gallery, The Horniman Museum, The Dulwich Picture Gallery, The British Museum, The Hayward Gallery, The British Crafts Centre, The Craftsmen Potters Association as well as numerous smaller venues and collections.
Outside London we visit other collections which are usually within a days drive. These have included: The Pitt Rivers Museum Oxford, The Ashmolean Museum Oxford, The Holbourne Museum Bath, The American Museum Bath, The Bath Museum of Costume, The City of Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, The Cass Foundation Chichester, The Russell Coates Museum Bournemouth and The Henry Moore Foundation Perry Green.
We are also very keen to support our local museums and art galleries which have both permanent collections and touring exhibitions. They provide a range of talks, lectures and workshops on a variety of different subjects. These venues have included: The Salisbury City Museum, The Salisbury City Art Gallery, Devizes Museum, Andover Museum, Salisbury City Arts Centre and Roche Court New Arts Centre.
We encourage the pupils to see and talk to local artists, designers and craftspeople. The best way of achieving this is to explore one of the many local festivals and Arts Trails that radiate around the Salisbury area at various times of the year. These include: The Salisbury Arts Trail, The Wylye Valley Arts Trail and The Hampshire and Dorset Arts Trails. In addition we make a regular visit, in June, to see the work of the graduate pupil textile exhibition at East Berkshire College.
Activities
The Art & Design department is open from 8.00am until 3.45pm each weekday for curricular lessons. However it is after this time from 4.10pm until 6.45pm, when the department really comes alive. This is the time when pupils have access to the studios and specialist equipment for three 50 minute sessions. The department is manned throughout this time by a wide range of specialist practicing artists and teachers who divulge the secrets of their craft and skills to a wide variety of ages for curricular and co-curricular activities.
Whilst GCSE, AS and A2 candidates can improve their portfolios of work within a specialist environment we are also able to appeal to the younger members of the school community who want to join us to further their interest in art and design or just to enjoy the creative space. We aim to close down at least one of our six studios per session, per week to enable non curricular classes to go ahead.
The activities change on a termly basis depending on the staff available or following particular requests from the pupils. Once the pupils have signed up for an activity at the start of the term they are committed to doing it for the rest of that term. Should an activity be oversubscribed then pupils will be taken on a first come first served basis. Those missing out will be put at the top of the list for the following term.
Many pupils find the time spent in this creative environment very relaxing and takes away much of the pressures of day to day academic study. With a relaxed and informal atmosphere pervading all the studios this is a time when pupils produce their most inspiring work.
Junior activities have included:
Textile Design, Ceramics, Sculpture, Silver Ceramics, Glass Jewellery, Stage Design and Construction, Card Making, Puppetry, Carnival Design, Painting and Drawing and Felt Making.
Senior Activities have included:
Life Drawing, Dress Making, Ceramics, Sculpture, Painting and Drawing, Printmaking and Photography (Lens and Light Based Media).
The department is also open at weekends for longer classes. This gives us the opportunity to hold all day sessions where we invite artists to join us and to enable pupils to produce more finished work. Pupils can also come in and complete curricular portfolio work at this time.