Ruark Lewis at the gallery

While the exhibition doesn't open til next saturday, the gallery thought it was a good idea to put Lewis' most recent works on display in the garden. Star shelters, movable, playable prisms, based on aboriginal astronomy, were designed as a gift to the nt government as shelters for the homeless. Visitors are invited to crawl in them, play on them or simply admire their intricacies.They are a HUGE Hit with kids (and kids at heart), just in time for the warm weather and school holidays! The exhibition opens at 2pm next saturday... All welcome!

Finished my first Education Kit!!

What a momentous week!!!

I finished the Ruark Lewis Education Kit just in time to present it to fellow Visual Arts teachers at the Gallery's 'Teacher Preview' afternoon next Wednesday. It was a lot of hard work, but I am glad I was able to contribute to one of the Gallery's publications... I am looking forward to seeing how it is received at the 'Preview'.

It was also a sad week to be in education with the Government's announcement to cut funding and jobs. This, along with the impending introduction of a National Curriculum will be detrimental to Australia's cultural capital. The draft of the National Curriculum for The Arts lacks intellectual rigor, conceptual depth and is a very weak, watered-down version of the NSW Syllabus that I already teach. Given these two factors, we can say goodbye to creative, critically thinking, curious, expressive and imaginative young Australians with highly capable interpretive skills! Art education brings so much to society... only we'll realise it in 10 years time and it will be too late.

What can I say, I love being an educator... I hope there will still be need for me in the future.

126.5 hours down!!

I didn't know how else to title this post as I am just so excited to be over half way through my internship. I can see the finish line!!!

Over the past few weeks I have been working steadily on the education kits for Ruark Lewis exhibition (which opens in 2 weeks) and the Brett Whiteley exhibition. The Lewis kit has been a little problematic when trying to define his practice in language that is accessible for students. Also writing questions for specific works has been difficult as we did not know which exact works will be on display (and if you know anything about Lewis' exhibitions, his works change depending on the space, audience, location etc). I have also found it a little difficult working on Saturdays while my supervisor works Mon-Fri. I have tried to make sure I email her every Monday with that weekend's work but she is so busy that sometimes I think she forgets to reply.
But being a teacher with my own prac students to supervise I know what it is like to have to think of someone else too. I'm greatful she was able to take me on and I'm sure it is just as hard for her too, having an intern she rarely sees. Hopefully it will be much smoother in two weeks time when I will be on school holidays and able to intern Mon-Fri for two weeks.

I am now starting research for the Whiteley ed kit. This will be a real blockbuster exhibition for the gallery so the pressure is on!

That is it for now. To be honest my brain is mush.  Between teaching high school kids (who get a bit ratty this time of term), working every Saturday at the gallery, and trying to research and write my research paper on Sundays (and in any other spare time) I am buggered! This is definitely one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life!

Bring on November!