There is currently Year 8 artwork surrounding the whole school, including displays and an exhibition of pupils’ artwork in Fellside Hall.
Please find the Exhibition text below:
Portraiture and Identity
‘We are Year 8: The advantage of being me’
Each of the four Year 8 classes at our school have researched a number of artists including Lucian Freud, Stanley Spencer, Frida Kahlo and Chuck Close. Pupils have developed their drawing and painting skills to realise self-portraits which reflect themselves and their environment. At a deeper level the work is about how the students connect to themselves, others and to the natural world.
At a time when there is increasing pressure facing young people, an exploration of identity and ‘the self’ could offer a route to a better understanding of each individual’s unique contribution to society. The Art department offers an emotionally safe space in which young people can explore creativity, connection and culture.
In lesson time, pupils created mind-maps to explore ‘The advantage of being me.’ This was an opportunity to think about our strengths and also our challenges. We considered how sometimes a weakness or vulnerability can be a hidden strength. This exhibition celebrates the nurture of, and healthiest possible development for, each pupil.
Due to the lockdown period and Covid-19 some of the works in this temporary exhibition are incomplete. What is interesting to note are the stages pupils have undertaken in the development of their artwork. This can be seen in each pupil’s careful planning and keen eye for detail! We wish our Year 8 pupils every success as they progress into the High School and Year 9.
Buzzwords for our projects:
portraiture, gradation, tonal values, opacity, gender, kinship, proportion, scale, identity
The exhibition is supported by Hexham Middle School, The Queen’s Hall and HMS Parent Teachers Association.
