As part of Riccarton High Schools 2016 Gifted and Talented Programme, a special week of activities was organised and aimed at the particular strengths of some of our students. 

Students were identified via teacher observation as potentially possessing gifted and talented traits in the Visual Arts in Year 10. 

Fourteen or so students went with Ms Blackwell and Mrs Harmer-Campbell for an Art Appreciation day around the central city. 

They were whisked away for a day of adventure. First up was an artist talk at Llew Summers and Robyn Webster’s home and artist studios. Here Llew talked about his art making sculptural processes, his ideas and how his work had evolved and changed over time. 

He also showed us his extensive art collection which covered the walls in lounge where artworks were tightly hung almost touching each other in a salon-style arrangement. 

Among some of the remarkable and precious pieces in his collection included work by Tony Fomison, Michel Tuffery, Fatu Feu’u and Bill Hammond just to name a few and there were so many more.

Next stop was the CBD where we walked along the Avon and to the newly opened Arts Centre to view Sir Antony Gormley's Stay: sculptural works which comprise of two twin humanoid cast-iron statues in two separate locations. 

Students then went to the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu to see the following exhibitions: Beast’s, The Devil’s Blind Spot: Recent Strategies in New Zealand Photography, Bad Hair day and Energies by Haines and Hinterding.

Lunch was purchased and eaten at the Restart mall where a few Scape sculptural works were still situated.

Instead of driving and walking around town to see the outside Street Art works, we changed the plan due to unseasonal rain setting in after lunch. This led us to the Jonathan Smart Gallery where we met Jonathan and Neil Dawson - famous NZ sculptor who was visiting the Jonathan Smart for a cuppa. 

One of the highlights here, was the students got to meet and pat Neil Dawson’s dog. The last stop was to visit the Chamber and National Galleries, which are situated side by side on Moorhouse Avenue. 

At the Chambers Gallery, students saw the group show Grounded which had works by Richard Adams, Jane Barry and Bronwyn Taylor. Here they also went through the showroom of their collection of paintings, drawings and prints for sale.

At The National Jewellery Gallery next door, students were permitted to wear special gloves and handle the very delicate sculptural jewellery pieces by Australian Julie Blyfield who is a South Australian artist renowned for her work that is inspired by collected botanical specimens and forms. They also viewed many artists work in the jewellery drawer collections.

A big thanks goes to Jonathan Smart, Julie Williams the Gallery Assistant at Chambers Art Gallery and Caroline Billing the Director at The National Gallery. All of these amazing people made us feel welcome and willingly gave up their time to show us and talk about the artworks at their galleries, despite the fact we turned up unannounced, and a little wet from the rain.