Art...for art's sake!

In the years since our school opened many parents have requested more art - I sometimes think this is a response to just not knowing how often art is a feature of our every day programs. I see children painting, creating, designing, decorating, and using colour and texture in classrooms every day of the week - even though the official time allocation for this key learning area is somewhere in the vicinity of 45 minutes per week!

And then came the Art Fair! Friday afternoon was an explosion of colour, craft and visual excitment. It's clear some of our students will make their future careers in art of some sort - the inherent creativity and talent of children fostered by skillful teachers on show all afternoon was astounding. The wow factor was shining out of each child's (and many teacher's faces) as they toured the school and appraised the exhibitions.

Balancing arts with the right mix of more 'academic' subjects is always tricky in a general education program - everyone always wants a different mix. I'm pretty happy with our mix - it's collaborative, there's variety, and appreciation of the work of others underlies all activity.