GEORGE NEWS - The York High matric visual arts exhibition captivated audiences with a variety of diverse artworks. Lyndsey van Rensburg, the head of visual arts, says the matriculants well and truly bought into the high standards of the school and showed creativity through print-making, painting, drawing, video production and digital creations.
"Our art department's versatility and openness to all visual mediums ensures that our learners are not limited; they are encouraged to use technology in our recently expanded multimedia room and they are guided to develop the skills which will equip them to further their studies at university and give them the opportunities to pursue the thousands of career possibilities available in the artistic fields today."
Van Rensburg said the exhibition's title, "Into the Out", refers to the way the learners spent a big portion of the year working from home, being taught in a very different way - they had to take the ideas they had worked on indoors and materialise them back in the outside world.
In a year when it would have been very easy to do a lot less work, the Yorkies stepped up and did not let their standards slip.
"As a teacher, I continue to be in awe of the strong work ethic of our students and the heart and soul that they put into their projects. We are grateful that, during a challenging year, we were able to host our exhibition and show our learners how proud we are of each and every one of them."
Some of the prints available for sale.
Many improvements were made to the format of the exhibition this year. The adherence to Covid-19 regulations informed the design of a one-way system for the public to admire the artworks.
The change created a good flow and will be applied again in the future. "Our school's principal, Francois Moll, and a Grade 10 learner, Samuel Leggatt, played piano for the evening. An exciting addition to our exhibit was also the sale of prints of our students' work."
This year students could decide which prints they would like to sell and, in one evening, over 100 prints were sold. "These quality prints continue to sell quickly and are a testament to the exceptional skills of our artists," said Van Rensburg.
Over the past few years, on average 65% of York matric artists have achieved distinctions in visual arts. The school has no doubt that the class of 2020 will perform exceptionally well too. Individuality, excellent technique and a passion for their work characterise these talented young artists.
These are some of the works available for sale.
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