A group of Year 10 students, who are from seven countries, took part in an excursion to the Perth Cultural Centre, taking in the Art Gallery of Western Australia and the WA Museum Boola Bardip.
While Canning College’s academic programs focus on important Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning, our aim is to provide students with an experience that extends beyond these subjects.
We know that our students, who go on to study at a wide range of universities and various degree programs, have strong interests in many other areas, such as sport, music, art, film, food and design. We encourage students to develop these interests through various activities, such as the recent excursion.
The Perth Cultural Centre trip complemented the self-portrait task students have been working on during their weekly activity period.
The excursion was an entirely new experience for some students, as they progressed from art observers to active participants.
The day started with the Art Gallery tour guide taking students through the Look, look. Anna Park exhibition. Students made observations about the artist’s use of materials and the themes explored within her work.
At the rooftop gallery, students experienced the sculpture walk and admired the views of Perth city before a guided tour of the Balancing Act exhibition, which features Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander works from the State Art Collection.
The next stop on the trip took students to the Pulse 2024 exhibition, featuring 60 works by the top performing 2023 Year 12 Visual Arts graduates from schools across WA.
Canning College students noted the common themes being investigated and mediums that had been used. The students were impressed with the calibre of the work and how the artists had expressed their ideas.
After the inspiring visit to the Art Gallery, and a break for lunch, students continued their cultural excursion at the WA Museum Boola Bardip where they attended the youth exhibition of the Lester Prize. This is a prestigious art exhibition for high school students.
On display were 32 portraits by young artists from around the nation. The students enjoyed viewing their work and reading about their subject and the inspiration.
