Arts Showcase 2017

The Arts Showcase is an opportunity for our students to present their work and perform in front of an audience. The performances and work are the culmination of many months’ work and demonstrate the talent and commitment of our students and teachers. We are blessed to present our endeavours in the fantastic New Norcia Performing Arts Centre.

The building is so named in recognition of the musician in our House Patron Dom Rosendo Salvado, a Benedictine Monk from Spain who travelled to Australia in 1846 to establish a Mission in a place he named New Norcia. The place was named New Norcia, after Norcia in Italy, the birthplace of St Benedict. The priests soon established relations with the Aborigines, but conditions at the Mission proved so harsh that soon only Salvado and his companion priest, Joseph Serra, remained. Salvado was an accomplished pianist and in the first year of the mission he travelled back to Perth and on 21 May 1846 he gave a well received piano recital in tattered robes in the hall of the Courthouse. The recital raised much needed funds for the purchase of provisions for the new mission. It is, therefore, fitting that we present the 2017 Arts Showcase in the building named in honour or our Patron, Dom Salvado.

Throughout the week the College will showcase many items across the full spectrum of the discipline that is the Arts, from dance and drama performances, music recitals, digital photography, visual arts and crafts, as well as items from Design and Technology.

The Learning Area of ‘The Arts’ is as important as any other subject discipline, maybe even more important in some respects. The Arts, in all its forms, provides the mediums in which we communicate our stories and our culture. It defines who we are and what we value; it chronicles our history through instruments that can be transmitted from one generation to the next. Its beauty is that it is not static, but fluid, and draws on the power of the imagination, innovation and creativity of its participants.

The Arts has an intellect and literacy that needs to be explicitly taught if we are to fully understand, engage and experience its majesty.

A woman from Brazil was explaining how she taught her children to dance as soon as they could walk.  Every movement of the hands and feet had a purpose, every gesture had a meaning and the combination of those gestures and movements told a story.

The students playing instruments are using a combination of notes that they know to play because they read them on their music sheets.  But they are reading more than the notes. There are words, signs and symbols telling them how loudly or softly or quickly to play. Often, there’s a conductor who does much more than wave his arms about.  And there’s the sound, the relationships between the sounds, and the ways each of the sounds blends together.

When we are literate about photography we know about lighting, textures, colours, angles, focal points, rule of thirds, and a growing list of special effects.

When we are literate about visual art we know about symbols, art elements and art expression, whether it be abstract, impressionist, realist, graffiti, or Aboriginal rock painting, or the thousands of other genres.

When we are literate about music we know about the notes, symbols, signs, harmony and discord whether it be composed by Mozart or Metallica.

When we are literate about dance we can interpret the gestures and movements to understand what the dance is about, whether it be ballet or Spanish dance.

Throughout the week, if you are watching a dance or drama performance, listening to a music recital, viewing photographs, artworks or pieces of jewellery – think deeply. What is the story behind the work? What is the context of the artist or performer? What is the significance of the medium? What does this work mean to me? Parents, students and staff are invited to open your mind and your heart to a new appreciation of the different forms of the Arts. See and feel each piece of work and performance and appreciate the talents and efforts of the artists

As our College grows, we are fortunate to have many artworks around our College that, over time, will tell our story, your story, as students, families and staff of Holy Cross College. When the opportunity arises, I encourage parents, students and staff to take some time and look at the artworks on the fence around the Fitzroy building, the statue of Oscar Romero, images of our College Patrons, wood carvings in the playground, the Crosses and crucifixes in each room, and the symbols in the Olive Grove. We are truly fortunate to have an environment rich in quality artworks.

A showcase of this exceptional quality and magnitude could not have happened without the vision and energy of a number of people. We are eternally grateful to Ms Sara O’Neill for her foresight and oversight of the Showcase. We also congratulate Mr Chris McRae, Mrs Fiona de Courcier, Mr Chris Gooch, Mr Matthew Smyth, Mrs Susan Wilson and Mr Guy Jackson for their contribution and leadership in staging such a magnificent showcase of students’ work. We are also thankful to Mrs Kristina Croxford and the Senior Catering Team for the delectable hors d'oeuvres. Finally, we are blessed to have such talented and enthusiastic students and we congratulate them on their outstanding work, commitment and enthusiasm for the Arts.

Mr Peter Collins - Acting Principal