12WAE (Where Art and English Meet), a Level 2 semesterised course, has kicked off Term 3 with a range of gallery visits to get up close and personal with works of art in our community.

The course was designed in 2021 with the idea of bringing together Senior Art and English subjects for students who are passionate about art appreciation. While the restrictions of Covid meant the Semester 1 course was largely grounded at school, we’ve been fortunate to head out on a number of gallery visits already this term.

A school connection saw the class experience a personalised tour of Toi Moroki Centre of Contemporary Art with artist, and Hagley teacher aide, Ali Nightingale. Our students were able to ask Ali questions about her solo exhibition ‘Last Swim of the Summer’ and gain a deeper understanding of the works as they formed their own responses and interpretations. Big thanks to Ali for taking the time to share your work with our students!

Later that week, 12WAE took a walk to Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū to catch Francis Upritchard’s exhibition ‘Paper, Creature, Stone’ in its last few days. This fascinating series of works captivated our imaginations and gave the students plenty of material for their upcoming assessment. Esther Trevella, Year 12 WAE student, made these comments in response to the exhibition: “I really liked the multi-use of natural and man-made materials used in the exhibition. The figures have an awkward stance or slant to them [and] this gave them a graceful but rustic structured look. It fitted perfectly with the impression Francis Upritchard was trying to convey, as it was telling a story. The colour pallet was very captivating and natural.”

Teachers Lucy Holland (Art) and Jasmine Lambert (English) are excited to continue this collaboration and head out with their class to many more galleries and exhibitions this semester!