ArtExpress | Sydney Catholic Schools

ARTEXPRESS: Record success for Sydney Catholic Schools

A record 14 Sydney Catholic Schools graduates have earned a place in HSC visual arts showcase ARTEXPRESS this year, with another eight nominated for the prestigious exhibition.

The selected artworks embrace mediums including ceramics, sculpture, photography, drawing, painting and mixed-media to provide an emotive and considered look at themes including childhood, cultural identity, literature and a rare neurological condition.

Clancy Catholic College West Hoxton graduate Krovanes Nico’s photomedia series O le a fuga mai (Come into bloom) acknowledges her growing connection to her Samoan heritage.

Aquinas Catholic College Menai graduate Alyssa Cavallaro’s work, Chiese e cattedrali, is an ode to old-world architecture.

“By using coloured pencil in a realistic style in my body of work, my intention is to represent the incredible detail of the old world, detail that our new world is quickly forgetting,” she said.

De La Salle College Cronulla graduate’s Sienna Salvato’s charcoal drawings of drama students modelling Shakespeare’s Desdemona and Othello presents “a whimsical take on the idea of Shakespearean tragedy”.

Marist College Kogarah graduate Cristian Varvakis used graphic design and mixed media to represent his emotions around the experience of the rare neurological phenomenon, visual snow. It includes seeing static, coloured dots and auras.

“My work is intended to demonstrate the beauty within the disorientation of my experience of visual snow while challenging perceptions of normalcy, vision and reality,” he said.

“As an educator, it is incredibly gratifying to see so many students from our system selected for such a celebrated, high-calibre showcase.” – …

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauMarch 11, 2024|

ARTEXPRESS: a hat-trick of success

Three Sydney Catholic Schools graduates have earned a place in prestigious HSC visual arts showcase ARTEXPRESS this year.

From sculpture to hyper-real drawings, the artists share the ideas and challenges behind their dynamic and creative works.

Monique Frasca, Clancy Catholic College West Hoxton

The Impetus Past

See it at: The Art Gallery of NSW until 25 April

Monique’s work features hand-drawn historic houses and explores the ideas of object permanence, absence and presence.

The illustrations are lifted into the present through animation accessed by a QR code.

Monique names philosopher Jacques Derrida, Frankenstein comic book illustrator Bernie Wrightson, American artist Franklin Booth, and Australian artist Rachel Whiteread as influences to her work.

“Derrida coined the idea that objects leave ‘traces’ of presence, despite their absence,” she said.

“With the concept of my work being about the past, I wanted to say ‘if these houses could speak, what would they say?”

“I thought it would be a great idea to animate the trees and make it more atmospheric, so you could really be immersed in the landscape where the houses are standing.”

“It feels really rewarding to have one year of work contribute to an exhibition people are celebrating and which celebrates art created by youth” – Monique Frasca

Edward Parsons, St Mary’s Cathedral College Sydney

The Commute

See it at: The Art Gallery of NSW until 25 April

Edward is the fourth student in three years from St Mary’s Cathedral College to have his work selected for ARTEXPRESS.

His sculpture of a commuter, ‘Bob’, is crafted of monster clay and highlights the personal and humorous aspects of the mundane experience of using public transport.

jaderamirezsydcatholiceduauMarch 15, 2022|

Best performing arts schools Sydney

The benefits of an arts education in school cannot be overstated, according to Eva Spata, Sydney Catholic Schools’ (SCS) Specialist: Creative and Performing Arts.

“Arts education is important for all young people,” Ms Spata said. “Besides the intrinsic benefits – such as students finding a voice to express themselves, having empathy, exploring their imagination and creativity – there are instrumental benefits.

“They include cognitive development, ‘learning how to learn’, and improved academic performance. There are also attitudinal and behavioural benefits, such as self-efficacy and self-discipline, along with improved attendance at school.”

What’s happening in the creative and performing arts at SCS

“2021 is an exciting year for the arts at Sydney Catholic Schools,” said Eva Spata, SCS’ Specialist: Creative and Performing Arts.

“Not only are we celebrating outstanding HSC results, we are offering so many new opportunities for students to perform and create.”

Excitingly, SCS has already this year launched a comprehensive music education program titled in 14 of its schools, providing students with orchestral instruments, as well as classroom and ensemble music lessons led by specialist teachers.

SCS’ inaugural Eisteddfod takes centre stage in June. Students can also audition for the first Sydney Archdiocesan musical, Fame, as well as SCS’ annual film festival.

Plus, Southern Cross Catholic College Burwood is for the first time offering full-time courses for students in Years 9 to 12 seeking a specialised education in the performing arts.

The college’s 2021 program includes the NESA board developed Music, Dance and Drama courses (all levels), as well as a Certificate III in Community Dance, Theatre and Events.

“The Certificate course is aimed at triple threat performers, who can sing, dance and act,” Ms Spata said.

How Sydney Catholic school students stack up in the performing arts

SCS’ creative and performance artists have been enjoying phenomenal success in the wake of COVID-19.

Singer-guitarist Chrystal …

Web SupportApril 30, 2021|

‘An exciting year for the arts’

Sydney Catholic Schools’ creative and performance artists have been enjoying phenomenal success in the wake of COVID-19, and the opportunities for students with an artistic flair to flourish are only increasing.

Singer-guitarist Chrystal Ruz from SCS’ ViVA Music 1 class of 2020 was recognised on the Encore Honour Roll for exemplary performance in the Viva Voce (Musicology) component of her HSC Examination.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College Kensington student Jessica Wilson placed third in the state in the 2020 Music 1 HSC, while Bethany College Hurstville student Shae Acevski placed fifth in NSW in HSC Dance.

Singer-guitarist Chrystal Ruz of Bethany College Hurstville

And 12 SCS students were chosen from 9,000 entries to have their works displayed in the annual ArtExpress HSC showcase exhibitions.

Now SCS looks to debut a Sydney Catholic Schools Eisteddfod. Students can also audition for the first Sydney Archdiocesan musical, Fame, as well as SCS’ annual film festival.

“Not only are we celebrating outstanding HSC results, we are offering so many new opportunities for students to perform and create,” said Eva Spata, SCS’ Specialist: Creative and Performing Arts.

“2021 is an exciting year for the arts at Sydney Catholic Schools” – Eva Spata

Excitingly, SCS has already this year launched a comprehensive music education program titled Amadeus in 14 of its schools, providing students with orchestral instruments, as well as classroom and ensemble music lessons led by specialist teachers.

Plus, Southern Cross Catholic College Burwood is for the first time offering full-time courses for students in Years 9 to 12 seeking a specialised education …

AdminApril 19, 2021|

Students shine at ArtExpress

Nine students from Sydney Catholic Schools (SCS) have been chosen from 9,000 entries to have their works displayed in the annual ArtExpress HSC showcase exhibitions.

“This year has seen the most HSC bodies of work included in ArtExpress for the (Sydney) Archdiocese,” said Eva Spata, SCS’ Specialist: Creative and Performing Arts.

She said the number of Archdiocesan inclusions had more than doubled compared to the previous year.

“I am extremely proud of all the hard work of the 2020 Year 12 students, along with the support of their teachers in such a difficult and unusual (COVID-19) year” – Eva Spata said.

ABOUT ARTEXPRESS

Each year, the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) celebrates exemplary HSC Visual Arts bodies of work with exhibitions in various major venues across Sydney, including the Art Gallery of NSW, called ArtExpress.

Out of 9,000 entries, only 50 outstanding bodies of work were selected by NESA for this year’s exhibitions.

FEATURED WORKS

Among the works featured in this year’s exhibition is a film, titled Intrusion, by Marist College North Shore alumnus Maxwell Partridge.

Maxwell Partridge

“I wanted to make a film that demonstrated that emotions, feelings and mental states can be shown through dramatic techniques, such as form and structure, rather than telling the audience,” Maxwell said.

Settling on a body of work was not as easy as it first seemed, however.

“It took a while to pick a concept that I was set on, but from there I worked on the project for about six to seven months with a few re-shoots which are important to the whole process,” Maxwell said.

American TV show Mr Robot was among the influencing factors in his project.

“Inspiration definitely came from the show Mr …

Isabell PetrinicFebruary 11, 2021|

ARTEXPRESS: Record success for Sydney Catholic Schools

ARTEXPRESS: a hat-trick of success

Best performing arts schools Sydney

‘An exciting year for the arts’

Students shine at ArtExpress

ABOUT ARTEXPRESS

FEATURED WORKS

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