Ascham boarders shortlisted for ARTEXPRESS

Molly Aveyard, Trundle, and Georgie Turner, North Wagga Wagga, were two of five Ascham students whose HSC bodies of work were nominated for the country’s most prestigious exhibition of exemplary HSC artworks.

The work of one Ascham student, Amelia Turner, Paddington, was in the final selection for exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW.

Both Molly and Georgie joined Ascham in Year 10 – the only school in Australia that teaches using the Dalton Plan.

Under this system, girls form close relationships with their teachers as they manage their own timetables to suit their individual study needs and complete weekly assignments for every subject.

“After 550 hours spent on my drawing, it was pretty exciting to be shortlisted,” Georgie said.

“The teachers at Ascham have so much expertise and the special thing about the Dalton Plan is that we could talk to any of the teachers in the Art Department, drawing on their speciality knowledge.

“Art has always been such a passion of mine and, although it was still very difficult, it was something I could get fully absorbed in that gave me downtime away from essays and maths,” she said.

Molly Aveyard was surprised and proud to learn she had been shortlisted for ARTEXPRESS, feeling the contemporary approach to her photo-media work contributed to her shortlisting.

“The idea for my work really developed over time,” Molly said.

“The Dalton Plan structure meant we had a lot of extra time to work on our art and substantial one-on-one time with our teachers, who were always devoted to helping us do our very best.”

“This is a wonderful recognition of the girls’ creativity, dedication and hard work,” said Ascham’s Art and Design Technology Department head Jeff Morabito. 

“It is significant that the excellence of these works has been formally acknowledged.

“Every year Ascham has a number of students shortlisted for ARTEXPRESS – a reflection of the standard of art produced by our students and the continued dedication of their teachers.”