Art stimulates creativity and imagination - vital qualities to have in today’s ever evolving world. The subject provides visual, tactile and sensory experiences as a way to understand and respond to the world. It enables students to communicate what they see, feel and think through different visual and aesthetic approaches, utilizing a range of practical arts disciplines. In Art, we seek to provide a scope of visual experiences working with painting and drawing, sculpture, lens-based media, print and textiles. We want our students to articulate their ideas with passion and clarity. All projects, therefore, are underpinned contextually with links to designers, artists and makers, whereby students are required to develop their verbal, written and visual communication skills in relation to this context. Above all, our program of study is designed to shape independent and innovative visual artists who grow in their skillset and ability to produce complex sophisticated outcomes.
Creative Arts at DESC
The Creative Arts Faculty brings together Art, Design Technology and Photography to provide an enriching creative and technical education for our students at DESC. As a faculty we believe in the importance of an inclusive education that encompasses the keys elements of our three subjects in a holistic way, whilst celebrating the key distinctive features of each discipline.
We offer a broad program of study, carefully designed to exploit our students interests in art, design and technology. Creativity, as well as functional and imaginative problem solving, are fundamental skills that the faculty wishes to develop. The process begins with providing challenging brief’s whereby the students can respond by developing, experimenting, designing, editing, refining and reviewing outcomes. This philosophical approach is what unites the faculties disciplines of Art, Design Technology and Photographic practices.
In addition to the academic program, students are given an opportunity to expand their creative experiences through further enrichment opportunities. The main annual GCSE and A level exhibition in May is only one of the numerous opportunities on offer; others include the House Photography exhibition, Design Technology ‘pop-ups’ and House challenges, visiting lecturers and workshops, trips to the Creek, Louvre and Art Dubai, and a range of ECA clubs that focus on making, creating and skills acquisition.
The Creative Arts faculty is well equipped with large and well resourced art studios, a workshop, links to a computer pod and a photography studio. Staff come from a range of disciplines to support students Art and Design Technology interests and academic studies.
Throughout Year 12 and 13, the Creative Arts faculty seeks to prepare our students for further education through a program of visiting lectures, workshops and portfolio tutorials. Students in the Sixth Form are also encouraged to undertake EPQ’s within visual arts. To support learning, the faculty also urges students to utilise the photography studio during study periods, after school art clubs and Twilight sessions. To celebrate the hard work of our students, the annual Photography exhibition takes place in Term 3. Parents, teachers, governors and friends are invited to enjoy this showcase of the amazing achievements of our DESC students.
Our world is increasingly technological and at DESC, Design and Technology bridges the gap between school and industry, enhancing students understanding and experience of both designing and manufacturing of products. Students are encouraged to be innovators, creators and designers, through effective communication of design ideas, iterative development of designs through physical and computer prototyping, both 2D and 3D, and construction of high-quality products. Our well planned and varied curriculum develops inquisitive learners through structured tasks and skill acquisition with both hand and machine tools from Year 7 onwards. Having well-resourced facilities enables students to manufacture in a range of materials, such as polymers, timbers and paper and board.
Photography is a truly modern art form that has evolved from the camera obscura into an easily accessible and technologically advanced means of creative expression. It is a media wholly appropriate for the ‘digitally savvy’ generation of students in our DESC community. Not only does photography offer an opportunity to develop a range of lens based technical methods and processes, it also gives students a voice in a manner that is ‘of its time’. Connecting the intention of the photographer, establishing a context and developing an understanding of audience perception is vital in photography. The photography student is acutely aware of how a seemingly immediate form of capturing an image has a wealth of preparation and thorough narrative dialogue that supports the visual outcomes.