A celebration of creativity, resilience and imagination: the Art, Design and Technologies Exhibition

‘Valuing the whole person’ is at the heart of Carey’s educational philosophy. Carey doesn’t just celebrate sporting triumphs or academic excellence – it celebrates the whole student, whether they’re musicians, coders, actors, debaters, makers, or of course, artists and designers. ‘It’s a place that reminds young people that success doesn’t have one shape, one path, or one definition’, according to this year’s Art, Design and Technologies Exhibition opening night guest speaker, Jeanette Jennings, the much loved art teacher at Junior School – Donvale campus from 1994 to 2020.

This is what makes the annual exhibition so special, because we’re celebrating more than the artwork on the walls and Design Technologies works carefully placed throughout the MGH – it’s about the curiosity, persistence, imagination and courage that went into creating them for an audience to respond to and contemplate. It illustrates the transformational nature of the practise through the dedication, resilience and determination required by young men and women studying in our VCE, IB and Middle School preparatory immersive programs. By valuing and celebrating the whole person, we seek to inspire our students at Carey and support their intended pathway and learning journey. 

Our pedagogical frameworks within our curriculum encourage students to develop their personal language through a global contemporary understanding of traditional skill-based development, immersive learning units and the interdisciplinary practices currently undertaken within the contemporary art and design diaspora. Artists and designers today create immersive and expanded environments through their pursuit into issues of human consciousness, the power of technological change and by questioning social and political norms. Powerful contemporary art and design is intrinsically connected to the cultural, political, social and climatic environments in which it is generated.

Our Art, Design and Technologies Captains, 2027 School Captains and guest speakers set the tone for the opening night. It was an exhibition shaped by the desire to voice a conceptual and personal narrative through the media of Visual Communication Design, Painting, Printmaking, Drawing, Photography, Digital art, Sculpture, Textiles, Food Studies, Product Design Technology, Media and conceptual design thinking priorities developed to give our students the frameworks to create such fine pieces of finished art and design. 

Some 200 guests enjoyed this year’s opening night and celebrated all year levels presented in the exhibition from Year 7 Art, through to the VCE and IB Art and Design subjects. The Art, Design and Technologies student prizes were awarded at the event, and we congratulate the students on their achievements.

I would like to warmly thank the entire Art, Design and Technologies teaching team for their dedication and encouragement of our fine artists and designers and our Art and Design Technicians for their support throughout the year and in curating the exhibit. A huge success annually, the Art, Design and Technologies Exhibition continues to be one of the key community celebrations and events each year.

Simon Carver
Head of Learning Area – Art, Design and Technologies