Despite widespread fears that art education is in decline, students at Highgate School have shown that there is plenty of appetite for the subject after a stellar exhibition.
The co-educational independent school hosted its first annual art exhibition at the Candid Arts Trust Warehouse in Islington on June 5, with GCSE and pre-university students showcasing a range of pieces.
The students were tasked with creating works of arts on subjects that they felt passionate about, or had a personal connection to, with some opting to focus on topical issues of anti-consumerism, environmentalism and gender identity, while with others chose to explore their own family history.
Pieces on display were created using a range of artistic techniques, with large-scale installations, film and photography exhibited alongside traditional figurative drawings and paintings.
A number of students with work on display are set to study art and design or architecture at university after completing their exams, gaining places on competitive courses at Parsons in New York, Falmouth Art College and Guilds Art School.
Director of art Claire Marie Goldsworthy said: “Highgate is immensely proud of the work that the students have produced, and this exhibition is a celebration of their creativity.
“The students have been working hard to build their skills over the last two years to enable them to communicate their complex ideas visually.
“Each of the pieces on display is a result of hours of experimenting, thinking and making. Expression through the arts can contribute to mental wellbeing, and so it is wonderful to see the School promoting creativity.”
The Highgate art department works to bring out individual creativity in each student, providing them with the support and materials in order to work as artists.
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