Art
We believe that creativity is essential in the education and development of young people. The school’s philosophy of developing the unique abilities of every girl and boy is nowhere more visible than in the work of our artists at Clayesmore, where students are encouraged to be individuals, extend their knowledge and to expand their horizons.
Observational drawing is key to all age ranges and forms the backbone to our courses. We aim to make drawing fun and diverse, with different approaches and techniques both within the Department and on location. In the sixth form Life Drawing sessions are offered once a week.
Cultural trips are an essential element at both GCSE and A-level, often forming the starting point from which coursework is built. Students are given the opportunity to study artworks and artefacts in major Galleries and museums; The Pitt-Rivers museum and the Ashmolean in Oxford, the National Museum of Wales Cardiff, The British Museum, the Tate and National Galleries.
At Sixth form level, our course structure is designed to allow our students to explore their own ideas and creative paths, whilst at the same time equipping them for Degree courses in Art and Design and Architecture at university. Many Sixth Form artists go on from Clayesmore to achieve highly in these areas.
The Art Department benefits from excellent facilities in a wonderful building full of character and history. There are three teachers in the department, specializing in Painting, Printmaking, Ceramics, and Sculpture. This enables our students to explore a wide range of media, utilizing many techniques, and developing as both 2 Dimensional and 3 Dimensional artists.
The department’s suite of i-mac computers helps pupils develop their ideas further and to explore digital technology. Visual Literacy is essential in the modern world. Art can be the key which opens the door to visual imagination. (Nicholas Serota, Director, Tate Modern) Work by Clayesmore students is exhibited regularly throughout the school. Exhibitions have also been held in prestigious locations in London and Salisbury.
Our aim as a department is for these creative experiences to have a formative impact on the thoughts and lives of our students, and to perhaps in some cases help to shape their futures.
‘The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.’ — Plutarch