Wenona’s creativity shines bright
There are a myriad of ways that our students weave creativity into their everyday lives, as Wenona’s Director of Creative Arts (Acting), Ms Carson explains.
“Creativity promotes mental growth by providing opportunities for experimenting with new ideas. It allows for adaptable thinking and plasticity of the brain to problem solve with relevancy and in original and inventive ways. Wenonians have demonstrated their innovation and creativity through a wide range of means this year.
During Term 1, Creative Arts Captains, Millie and Ashleigh (Year 12) ran a Wenona Senior School Photography competition with the theme Alive.
The theme was open to interpretation and there were so many mind-blowing entries, inspired by nature, portraiture, animals, wider landscapes, macro encounters and abstracted images. The enthusiasm surrounding this competition was fantastic and gave an insight into their worlds and the passion they have in capturing their experiences and interpreting the theme.
Photographs were judged by a panel, including the Creative Arts Captains and Visual Arts staff, looking at how the theme was interpreted, the photographic composition and use of camera craft. It was a difficult decision to decide on the winners, so we also awarded a runner up in each category, who each received a polaroid camera and polaroid film and disposable cameras respectively.
Congratulations to Middle School runner up, Lily (Year 7) for her incredible shot of Niagara Falls from a helicopter. And congratulations to Middle School winner Charlie (Year 8) for her macro image of bees.
The Senior College runner up was Jasmine (Year 12) with her inspiring photograph of new growth after the fires, and the Senior College winner was Skye (Year 10) for her remarkable image of a whale surrounded by the blue abyss of the ocean. Staff runners up included Ms Suppiah and Ms McNally, who both captured the light of natural and urban worlds. Ms Parker was the staff winner with a captivating photograph of a leopard.
In exciting news, the Creative Arts Captains decided that due the overwhelming response in Term 1, they would run another Wenona Photography competition in Term 2. The competition is open to all girls K to 12 and staff. The theme for Junior School is Backyard Secrets. If you don’t have a backyard, don’t despair, you may know of secret spaces within your community. The theme for Senior School is Light. Details can be found on the .
Congratulations must also go to Jasmine (Year 12) who was shortlisted as a student finalist in the HeadOn photography competition. Jasmine submitted a striking portrait, which revealed and concealed the identity of the subject.
Throughout Term 1, our talented Wenona alumnae have also been busy teaching a range of Design and Visual Arts Extra-Curricular classes to Years 3 to 11. This includes designing and making pom pom necklaces and chandeliers, fabric dying, weaving, painting exotic Australian birds, drawing with charcoal and watercolour studies of beautiful flowers, honing their photography skills and learning how to paint with oils.
Although these classes have had to be put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Athenaeum Learning Pathway allowed the girls to participate in a range of creative pursuits. And they did so with gusto through the Creative Arts challenges posted on Wenona’s Instagram. Time spent at home to stop and reflect allowed the girls to nurture their creativity and reconnect with their talents, interests and also their community. Girls placed bears and/ or rainbows in their windows for children to spot as they walked around their neighbourhoods. They created colour wheels from everyday items and learnt about appropriation by becoming a famous artwork.
Further challenges throughout this term can be found on the Creative Arts Portal page and include film, animation, design, photography and visual arts provocations. Creative Arts Extra-Curricular classes will resume when it is safe to do so, and we are all looking forward to the buzz in the afternoons again.”
In the words of Kurt Vonnegut in his autobiography A Man Without a Country, “Practising an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow… Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”
A huge thank you to Ms Carson for all her energy and enthusiasm in channelling our students’ creativity.