I’ve been following Toowoomba Grammar School’s exciting Artist-in-residence program for several years.
After seeing fellow Toowoomba artists such as Catherine Parker, Alice Weinthal and Vincent Parisi taking up the opportunity and engaging in the program, I decided to apply in 2022 to continue the momentum of my own artist practice.
With the four-week residency wrapping up at the end of October, and some time to reflect on the experience I can write that the experience was a valuable one.
During the residency I was able to set up a multi-faceted studio space in the Henderson Gallery. As students did their own learning in the adjacent Visual Arts and Drama spaces, I was able to do my own artist learning, experimenting, and testing.
While working primarily in video, I was able to explore some ideas I had with painting as well as finish some existing projects, including ‘Has Joined The Room’ which is now on show as part of Outer Space Gallery’s Supercut online exhibition.
Redwood Call I (2022)
One highlight of the residency was exploring ways of getting an audience (here, the students) to question their perception of reality. To do this, I projected a digital, video version of a window onto a white blind which covered the actual window. Each week, I would make subtle changes to the video. If you stayed long enough you would see cadets parading across the oval, ghostly parachutists descending from the sky or the window wobbling and waving out of its frame. Through these experiments, I was able to move through a process of considering the audience and fine-tune how I would explain artistic concepts in a general way, as well as testing what worked and what didn’t under a tight timeline. Furthermore, students were able to ask me questions, interrogate my ideas, participate in artmaking, and be themselves around the art – something that rarely happens in a public gallery, theatre or performance space.
Over the duration of the residency, I was able to see students in their own classrooms develop works of art from concept to the final form. By doing this, it confirmed the value of the Arts as a crucial element in a student’s learning. What other learning experience allows you to develop an idea, problem-solve, work through the challenges of the medium (eg paint, wire, video) while practicing individual self-expression, mindfulness and reflection? The Arts matter!
The final video work I created during the residency titled ‘Endurance Sport’ riffs on this idea. Artists, whether they practice professionally or as hobbyists, are like endurance athletes. This takes training, time and focused attention. In my four weeks as Artist-in-residence I was privileged to be granted all three.
You can view the Final Video here:
Latest Blog
Developing Generational Change in our Men – Stand Up and Speak Out
The devastating effects of domestic and family violence (DFV) are more prominent today as this previously ‘taboo’ issue is finally being publicly recognised and addressed. Toowoomba Grammar School is proud to be leading the way in creating generational change for this sensitive issue through a variety of School initiatives and by supporting community groups associated with DFV. Our programs are aimed at developing good men of the future who will “Stand Up and Speak Out.” TGS became a White…
The Barbour Connection
They will tell tales of meeting someone on the other side of the world whom they spotted wearing a TGS cap. It led to an instant connection. Of getting their dream job by simply proudly sporting a TGS Old Boy tie at the interview. It led to an instant connection. There is no denying that Toowoomba Grammar School students share a special bond. We celebrate it with our annual Old Boys’ Sons and Grandsons photo and our Old Boys’ Generations Gathering dinner. You see it in the playground at…
“I’ll Be There for You” at Toowoomba Grammar School
“I’ll be there for you” was the theme of National Boarding Week. This statement is particularly relevant at Toowoomba Grammar School as the boarders, the dayboys and the staff, help each other in the good times and the bad. We see our school as a ‘boarding school’, not a ‘school with boarders’. We are proud to be one of the oldest and most highly regarded boys’ boarding schools in Australia, providing a home away from home for boys for almost 150 years. TGS came from very humble beginnings. The…
Helping families navigate rules, rewards and consequences for boys
Recently I was in a webinar that aimed to tackle the issues surrounding technology and its effects on students. Some members of the forum started openly criticising boys for their poor behaviour. Whilst their criticisms were not directed specifically at our boys, I was offended at their general statements. We can be too quick to criticise boys and we forget that their frontal lobes are still developing. We also forget that their brains are “wired” differently from girls and that they don’t see…
Accepting Our Past, Creating Our Future
Toowoomba Grammar School has added the new role of Indigenous Education Coordinator to the School’s offering, to further promote a culture of diversity, inclusivity, and reconciliation. Mr Scott Gale has been appointed to this ground-breaking position that aims to spread awareness and understanding of the significance of Australia’s culture and history. “That’s something that has been lacking in Australia’s education system for so long,” said Scott. “It’s an extremely significant part of our…
The Gift of Music
You can feel the pride and passion exude from Janelle Fletcher as she reflects on her thirty-year career as a Music Tutor at Toowoomba Grammar School. “It’s a long time to stay in any job,” she admitted. “But working with the boys, seeing how important it is to have music in their lives and to develop not only as musicians but as people, that’s what’s kept me here.” Janelle believes staff in an all-boys’ school have a real understanding of boys. “It’s been very positive for me to see the…
