By Anna Ward | Posted: Thursday March 21, 2024
Year 11 Art students have had two visits out of class this term as part of their learning.
The first was to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery where they looked at a range of artists and the way they make their work. We visited the Marilynn Webb exhibition and the students made rubbings of some of the symbols she uses throughout her art-making. The "Huikaau - where currents meet" exhibition celebrates the past, present, and future of the Dunedin Public Art Gallery collection and works in partnership to bring Māori and indigenous perspectives to the fore.
Students experimented using paints made with earth (whenua) from our local area. Xoe Hall's "Bloodline" mural taught us the Kai Tahu creation story. To entertain us, with guidance, 3 boys re-enacted the conflict between Rakinui, the sky father, and Takaroa, god of the sea as they fought over Papatuanuku, the earth mother.
The second trip was a day out at the Otago Museum. This was part of our visual inquiry into traditional Māori art practices. Students chose examples of Tāoka (treasure) to draw from and record, as well as researching the history and stories belonging to them. They also explored other exhibitions at the museum to gather resources for their learning later in the year.