Visual Arts

Bundanon Art Camp 2023

At the end of last week, a group of Year 11 and 10 Visual Arts students travelled to Bundanon with Ms Dawson, Ms Tesoriero and Ms Willems.

Bundanon is a beautiful place situated on the land of the Dharawal and Dhurga Peoples outside of Nowra on the South Coast. In Dharawal Bundanon means deep valley. More recently it was the home of the Australian Modernist painter, Arthur Boyd. Boyd lived at Bundanon from the 1970s, purchasing what was then known as “Riversdale” on the banks of the Shoalhaven River. He continued to add to the existing buildings to create a home and studio.

In 1993 Prime Minister Paul Keating announced the Australian Government’s acceptance of Arthur and Yvonne Boyd’s gift of Bundanon and the intention to establish the Bundanon Trust.

Bundanon is a cultural and environmental asset. It was born out of Boyd’s often stated belief that ‘you can’t own a landscape’ and the wish that others might also draw inspiration from the remarkable place.

The Boyd Education Centre was built in 1997 and completed in December 1998 by renowned Australian architect Glenn Murcutt.

In 2020, construction of a new light-filled (and bushfire resistant) contemporary art museum on Bundanon’s Riversdale property was announced. Partially buried in the landscape, the new museum development sits at the centre of the new plan for Bundanon, with a bridge structure landing onto an expansive public plaza near the existing nineteenth century buildings. The new Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA) buildings have enlivened Arthur Boyd’s iconic Bundanon property and provide a most exquisite place to work, stay and relax.

Below is a summary of the trip from Year 10 student Zoe Lindner

From Friday 28 July to Sunday 30 July, art students in both Year 10 and Year 11 went to Bundanon Art camp. We all had a fantastic time, starting with night photography, leading into painting en plein air by the lake, and drawing with charcoal in the forest. We had a full immersion into the natural landscape, with a disconnection from our devices in a truly refreshing environment. It was an incredibly beneficial experience for us all to appreciate the natural world and reconnect with nature.

The activities we engaged in challenged all our artistic abilities, from learning new techniques, to trusting the process, we learned so much from Saskia, Mary and André who were champions throughout the whole camp. Saskia’s passion for modern art was so inspiring, Mary’s technique for charcoal taught us all so much, and André’s methods for painting en plein air were so beautiful. A special mention to art trivia on Saturday night, the friendly competition of every art student was electric! This camp was much needed to relax and recharge at the start of a stressful school term, and I highly recommend it to all future art students. You will learn a lot from this new technique in art appreciation, and even more from letting go and having fun.

Although the trip was not without challenges, such as weather and fatigue, the staff did a fantastic job at keeping morale high. A big thank you to Ms Tesoriero, Ms Willems, and Ms Dawson for making the trip as fun as it was. You don’t get experiences much like this anymore, so I was very proud and excited to be a part of it.

Thank you to everyone who has made Bundanon such a fond memory for all of us to hold and cherish forever!