The Art Department was first established 30 years ago in September 1977 with the introduction of G.C.E. and A level examination courses in art and design. From this date the department has gained considerable success, especially since students are not selected. Students who join the school who have limited previous experience of a structured art course are accepted and achieve convincing results, as the emphasis is firmly placed on discipline, attention to detail and regular homework studies.
All levels from Year 7 through to IB work with concepts, techniques and research in their journals which are viewed and evaluated by staff in one lesson every week.
Drawing, painting, printing and 3 dimensional work are the practices covered and photography and computer assisted imagery are encouraged.
Each November the school holds an open evening when parents and friends are invited to see an exhibition which shows a range of high quality work done by students at Key Stage 3, 4 and 5.
The GCSE Art & Design Course continue to provide very encouraging results, due to the structured Key Stage Three course content. The new IB Visual Arts course initiated in September 2008 will see the very first candidates through in March 2010 finalising in an exhibition of their work in a Milan art gallery. This new and exciting course encourages independence form the students who are encouraged to take risks, experiment with unorthodox media and discover emerging artists. Sir James alumni have entered well known art establishments all over the world and have obtained degrees in Fine Art, Architecture, Fashion, Ceramics, Transport Design, Special Effects (FIlm), Industrial Design, Jewellry Design, Illustration, Graphics, Art Education.
The Art Curriculum
At the Sir James Henderson, we believe that all students can become artists and designers and the aim of our department is to help them achieve this goal. There is a saying that “artists are strange people”, at the SJHS Art Department we have the saying “All people are strange artists”.
In order for students to gain a convincing command over their imagery, they are assisted on a solid structure which covers both concept and technique, using a wide range of varied materials.
Course Content
KS3In order to develop visual perception, pupils are taught about visual and, where appropriate, tactile elements including pattern, texture, coulur, line, tone, shape, form, space and the relevant vocabulary.
KS4
Course content for students following the GCSE course is determined by following the assessment objectives. These objectives test the candidates’ knowledge and understanding of the following:
Exhibitions
The Sir James Art students from Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 also exhibit their work in the Schools Portfolio section of the Saatchi Gallery web site. Primary and Secondary schools from around the world display artwork created by all pupils between 4-18 years old on this site. ...please visitSJHS has also entered the Saatchi Gallery Portfolio Schools Prize which is open to all schools around the world. A panel of art critics will choose their favourite works each year. A first prize of £10,000 will be awarded to the winning school’s art department. A further £2000 will be given to the winning pupil to be spent on computer and art equipment. There will be two runner-up prizes of £5000 each awarded to the second and third place schools with a further £1000 to each of the winning pupils.
The three winning works will be displayed at the new Saatchi Gallery from the 3rd December 2009.
Update November 2009: Sir James student Katie Lewis makes the final shortlisted 20!
...click here!