125th Anniversary portraits by Visual Arts students
In preparation for the School’s 125th Anniversary celebrations Ms Chow, Head of Music, commissioned Art students to portray significant women from history as a visual accompaniment to a specially commissioned piece of music.
Samantha Klein and Ella Walters-Adams in Year 10 and Lara Feller, Uma Rogers and Elenarose Plaister in Year 12 were selected in 2019 and completed these portraits in their own time submitting them recently before our closure. The subjects for these portraits are all women who have distinguished themselves through their compassion, ingenuity, hard work, integrity, ideals and attitudes and outstanding accomplishments in their respective fields.
- Ella painted Jessica Watson
- Elenarose drew Dame Quentin Bryce
- Samantha Klein volunteered to complete two portraits for which we are immensely grateful. Sam painted Gill Hicks (twice!) and Barangaroo
- Uma Rogers sketched Vivian Bullwinkel
- Elenarose Plaister drew Quentin Bryce
- Lara Feller painted Judith Beveridge
All students undertook independent research and sourced their own photographs or in the case for Barangaroo, conceived of a sensitive depiction of an Aboriginal Woman (when images of the deceased must not be displayed.) Furthermore, there are of course no photographic images of Barangaroo only a few poorly considered colonial sketches of her and her husband Bennelong. So Samantha Klein had to work especially hard to honour such a formidable figure who looms large in our historical consciousness as a woman of immense integrity, powerful intellect and cultural strength.
The portraits were a major part of the visual material for the anniversary concert and would have been displayed behind the live performance of the commissioned musical item on stage at the Town Hall. Additionally, the original works would have been on display in the Town Hall Foyer. We hope that there will be another opportunity to exhibit these outstanding contributions from our dedicated young artists later but for now here are their works….
Heidi Jackson
Head of Visual Arts
