Our students are offered the opportunity in Visual Art to develop a sense of cultural awareness and ways of communicating their responses to different ideas. 

As students progress from Year 7 to 12 they gradually develop practical skills in various mediums such as print-media, textiles, painting, sculpture and photography. By Year 11, students are expected to have the foundations laid not only for practical skills but also for critiquing artwork using art language and terminology. This is developed across all years by studying identity and heritage in Year 7, then studying different periods of history and artistic movements in Years 8 – 10. Visual Art allows students to develop the ability to work independently and manage well researched projects following the creative process. 

In the lower school programs students are taught about the function of the art room and expectations by experimenting with a range of mediums. Year 7 students create mask designs out of paper mache and print-media based on their heritage research and Ancient Egypt. In Year 8, students create imaginings of Monsters out of clay and in the past they have had the opportunity to transform their creations into wall murals catered for kindergarteners. Year 9 students begin to gain a worldly appreciation for art by studying the street art of Banksy and other artists from around the world resulting in skateboard designs. 

In Year 10, students study the Mambo style to begin to develop projects based on a point of perspective influenced by the ideology of Mambo on society. Students create a brand identity for themselves to print onto t-shirts, caps and canvas shoes. Year 10’s begin to link art language and skills developed in lower school to inform their creative process from the point of conceptualising ideas to achieving a final product. 

In upper school, students have the choice of studying Year 11 ATAR or the General course. This follows on to studying ATAR or the Certificate II course in Year 12. Students are given a theme each semester to explore through the study of selected artists from specific art movements. In Year 11 and 12, all students attend an excursion to the Art Gallery of Western Australia and the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art to view the Perspectives exhibition featuring the artwork of high achieving Year 12 students across Western Australia from the previous year. Students also get the chance to view exhibitions of contemporary artists and their practices. Students return to the art room to then make decisions on the medium they choose to work in to develop their artwork having gained inspiration from their experience. Students are encouraged to visit the art galleries throughout Perth to gain a sense of artistic perspective to understand different forms of expression. Year 11 and 12 students who achieve highly are given the opportunity to exhibit their work at the Annual Fra Angelico Exhibition in the Forest Centre on Saint Georges Terrace. Students from Catholic schools across Western Australia are selected to exhibit and have the chance to be nominated for numerous awards as well as to celebrate their achievements. 

Curriculum Information Handbook

Year 11 and 12 Curriculum Information

Year 10 Curriculum Information