Warren and Andrea

Warren is the project manager within the Tasmanian education department for Big Picture School and his wife Andrea Jordan is a visual artist. Today we met for coffee in Battery Point to discuss the school, painting, art school experiences, Tasmania and Scotland.  A lovely, generous and helpful couple who have lived on Tassie for 15 years having come from Sydney. It is so refreshing to come somewhere new and have such kindness and interest demonstrated by local people.  Thanks to you both!

Ten Days on the Island

Met Lizzi Nichol from Perth (Scotland) for dinner and had a great chat about all things related to home and Tasmania.  Lizzi is here on a two year contract working for tendaysontheisland and previously ran the Federation of Scottish Theatres (FST). A good move it sounds like for Lizzi!

Tendaysontheisland is Australia’s only state-wide biennial arts festival, tendays is renowned for its rich programme across  a wide  range of artforms  and for the uniqueness of venues across Tasmania.  As well as working with artists from islands across the globe, tendays commissions some of Tasmania’s finest resident artists to produce new work.

Lizzi is off learning to surf this morning - sounds like a perfect work life balance to me!

 

Liberals

a new Government in Tassie may change the landscape...just voted in yesterday..the times they are a changing...how long do you think it will be before they 're-do' the education system, did nobody tell them that they are, in my (humble) view, getting so much of it right?!  Any system that supports (or doesn't stop!!) somebody like Graham Speight to develop the Big Picture School has to be commended....

same old same old...

Arts Tasmania, lovely people, great aspirations, same old battle ..... met a lovely woman - Julie Payne  - from the Public Art Scheme, arts@work section, who is looking after the programme just now whilst her colleague Nick is on leave.  They have 2% for art for all publicly funded buildings and my interest is in the interpretation of the Big Picture School at Montrose Bay High School.  There are two artists commissioned to work on the Creativity Courtyard and the wider school. It seems issues can arise with the architects and not the schools, in terms of vision, risk and all the rest that we know ... interesting ... but as this programme has been on going in Tassie for 30 years they have quite an archive of works around the state.  Our very own Stevie Hurrell collaborated with John Vella on a Hydro Tasmania, Corporate Art Scheme Commission, to celebrate 25 years of the Public Art Scheme.  That must have been quite an honour for an international artist to be commissioned to mark a very 'local' success story!

Also met the officer who has carved out AIR - the artist in residence programme in schools - "not workshops, not teaching across the curriculum, not social work or care taking", but engaged with students and staff in their own practice.  "Modelling" the life of an artist through open studios, seminars and discussions with students.  Good model. And in parallel with the other models on the 'market' (such as workshops etc,) and quality teaching and learning, then young people will get the best of it all, as I hope we have demonstrated in Dumfries and Galloway.

Off to the Tasmanian Museum, hire a bike and find CAST

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Contemporary Art Spaces Tasmania (CAST)
is the lead contemporary visual artist development body in Tasmania and provides presentation and development opportunities and support for professional artists practising innovative art. 

.... more later ...

Generosity and mowing lemons

Nikki Mann was someone who was willing to help me from the outset get in touch with the best of practice in Hobart and Tasmania. I had a fantastic few hours chewing the fat with Nikki in her role as Arts Education Officer, musician, educational expert (she would hate that) and mother to Florence (Flossie-a delightful, scarily bright and engaging 7 year old) and 'bureaucrat'.

In Nikki you have the best range of attributes - a practice background, teacher, facilitator, curiosity expert with administrator experience, which brings a rich and open mix to the conversation. Nikki told me it was not looked upon positively if you had not traveled internationally, particularly to Europe. My response to that is where would I find such an informed, open, positive and professional advocate for cultural education...I hope the Tasmanian education department recognises their attributes.

The one thing that horrified me was when 'waxing' (sorry, couldn't resist) lyrical about lemon trees in the gardens in Hobart, she said 'our tree is so prolific, when they fall off we just mow them in with the grass, it smells lovely!" .... that to me is the ultimate sin ...

Tasman

Do you know I walked over the Tasman sea today, today of all days....it was absolutely beautiful. Actually it was the Tasman Bridge from Rosny to Hobart and the Botanic Gardens. Brian West - Head of Performing Arts - is an outstanding example of someone with huge experience who has used that to create a second to none resource for 1200 year 11/12 students (S5/6 pupils) in performing arts in Rosny College.

This must be industry standard equipment in recording, editing, mixing, playing, teaching, facilitating and general aspiration for young people. From the 20+ schools that go up to year 10 (S4), there are 5 Colleges in Hobart that take all pupils year 11/12 (S5/6)that want to continue their studies. 200 areas of study available in Rosny for 1200 students..it is phenomenal...the timetabler must be a shadow of a person trying to capture all that....however what they do offer in performing arts is world class, aspirational and highly professional.

The dance department is equally impressive with Debs as sole teacher with huge expertise in a range of dance forms. Looking forward to the performance in Salamanca on 11 April.

I have come away with a sense of hard graft, commitment, ambition and professional pride .... long may it continue and my hearty congratulations to Brian and his team who have professionalised their practice for all to enjoy and benefit from.

Big Picture School

Had a fantastic morning at Brent Primary School in Glenorchy, Hobart where Big Picture School staff and students are decamped whilst they wait for their new state of the art learning environment to be ready. Met the Principal, Graham Speight and two further members of the team - Mark and Amanda. Mark had to rush off to take a group of year 10s (4th year) to speak at a Stephen Heppell conference about the work they have been doing....

The concept is simple and yet complex - individual student passions are the drivers. Individualised Learning Plans (ILP) are 'negotiated' between students and staff for each research area based on the following framework:

1. Make it work for you - the learning plan
2. Pursue your passions - internship placements
3. Making it real - learning through internship
4. Organise and do it
5. Exhibit it
6. Reflect and assess it

Intellectually challenging for linear thinkers, but based on Guy Claxton and Daniel Pink's (and more) thinking and research.

http://msuctlt.blogspot.com/2010/01/daniel-pink-on-motivation.html

Graham et al have customised for Montrose Bay High School in Glenorchy and created a fantastic matrix of experiences and outcomes for students. Each student has a main contact who acts as a supervisor and they earn points to lead to graduation. Much too complex to get my head round in a morning so have been invited back to meet with Mark and Graham and for a third time to observe lessons. Thursday I meet the architects of the Big Picture School and the project manager of the percent for art element of the new build ... it will be interesting to see how they have interpreted the concept. One key factor - schools in Tasmania have complete autonomy to design a curriculum that suits their context - oh until the Federal Government imposes 2 hours of literacy and numeracy on all schools per day as they head towards national testing.....hmmmm. Graham Speight has 28 years as a Principal behind him to add gravitas to his idea. Will be able to go through the recorded interviews and update at a later date. Why are all schools not like this???

The image was in the school!

www.bigpicture.org.au