The AIR Project: 2006

Tuesday

K/1 prepare to make clay Kokatha moles

K/1 prepare to make clay Kokatha moles
Originally uploaded by bondipublic.

K/1 with the support of our AiR- Jade Oakley - participated in a fund raising exhibition and auction to raise awareness of the endangered
Kokatha (miniature marsupial) Mole. The 20 piece installation was sucessfully sold at auction.

Jade and BPS school captains with the Gormley inspired installation

Jade and BPS school captains
Originally uploaded by bondipublic.

This year has seen the BPS Artist in Residence Program successfully integrated into the school curriculum. Jade's work with the school has included excursions to the NSW Art Gallery, the Sydney Biennale2006, Powerhouse Museum. Each term she has devised a 3 hour (over 3 weeks) art exercise with each of the 4 classes. During these sessions Jade has been supported by artist/parent Anne-Louise Rowe. Together they have communicated art practice, and in the case of excursions - art theory- to the Bondi public school community.Since term 3 Jade has also conducted after school classes that have included children from the neighboring schools.
Jade also initiated, with the support of the AiR committee and the tirelessly enthusiastic teaching staff, Sculpture by the Schools. Local schools and youth groups have been invited to participate in a weekend festival, 18th and 19th November, to explore ways to represent Bondi and its environment through sculpture. It will be an annual event, giving local children a chance to
represent their work during the dynamic period of Sculpture by the Sea.
Throughout the year Jade has continued to produce a huge body of work for an exhibition in early 2007 at the Bondi Pavillion.

Monday

Fish Mobiles at BPS

Fish mobiles
Term One

During the last weeks of Term One, Bondi Public School students took part in art workshops with artist in residence Jade Oakley. The task was for each class to make a mobile of sea creatures. We experimented with new media, such as marbling with oil based paints and also marbling with spray paint on water. The students drew sea creatures from their imagination. They created prickly puffer fish, jellyfish with long tentacles, scary swordfish, dancing dolphins and moray eels as well as little creatures, like prawns, blue bottles and what appears to be single celled organisms! The sea creatures were drawn onto acetate, then marbled.

Each class came up with their own way of doing things. SR enjoyed marbling with spray paint on water to create lovely watery patterns. K-1 drew beautiful creatures and took enthusiastically to the task of painting and experimenting with marbling. 2-3 produced meticulous drawings depicting many of the smaller creatures of the sea, using paint very delicately and carefully. Year 4-5-6 cut their sea creatures out and added sculptural elements like fins and flippers. Jade has since made a mobile out of the sea creatures made by each class. These colourful mobiles will be displayed in the school.

Term Two
So far in Term Two K-1 have worked with Jade to make jellyfish from objects found in Reverse Garbage. 2-3 have created beautiful oil pastel drawings of waterlillies and sunflowers inspired by Monet and Van Gogh. 4-5-6 will be decorating masks to be used in a drama production.