WELCOME! 

 

Welcome to SHSB Art Dept! 

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Firstly, I would like to thank you for taking the time to drop by and for having a look at our student’s Artwork. We are all incredibly proud of the Art produced here at Southend High School for Boys and we hope you enjoy looking at it as much as we enjoyed making it. There is no doubt that students here put a great deal of effort into the work they produce and quite often, the list of materials used in a work can include blood, sweat and tears, as well as more conventional and traditional media. Often (though not always) Art can take a long time to produce, so it seems only fair for us to spend a good deal of time appreciating it – hence the need for this website. By uploading students’ work online, we can now give you the opportunity to enjoy great Art in the comfort of your own home. So go ahead, make that cup of tea, grab that biscuit, because there is so much to see, you may be here a while. The Artists showcased on this website really do appreciate greatly the time you are taking to consider the fruits of their labours, so from them and from us here in the most colourful department in the school – thank you! 

 

 

SHSB Art Dept Mission Statement 2021

 

The Art Department looks forward to seeing all of our students grow in the following ways: 

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1. Learn to appreciate Art. Our students are not expected to like everything we introduce them to, but we aim to develop in them an appreciation of a diverse range of different types of Art. 

2. Develop your artistic ability, but also develop as a person. Art can help us to grow, in our understanding of ourselves and others. It can help to develop our emotional intelligence and our soft skills (which are becoming very desirable traits in the work place.)   

3. Enjoy yourself. It is important that each student finds something about the subject which they enjoy. The best way to do this is to make our work more personal. By working independently and talking to staff about how our Schemes of Work can be adapted, students are able to personalise their projects to better suit their own tastes. 

4. Engage with Art and the wider visual world. Students are encouraged to visit galleries and museums, talk to peers about their work and seek critical feedback on their own work. It is our hope that even those students who do not continue with this subject beyond Year 8, will develop a greater appreciation for the visual world around them.  

5. Draw with confidence and accuracy. Drawing underpins everything we do here and we consider it fundamentally important to students’ development as Artists. We do not consider artistic talent to be a gift. Nobody was born holding a pencil and sketchbook. People who display an aptitude for drawing usually do a lot of it (practice forces improvement) they study and research (watch others, engage in tutorials and ‘how to’ books, thereby becoming inspired and learning new methods and un-learning common misconceptions,) but most importantly, they try hard and don’t give up. Drawing can be taught and drawing can be learned. Drawing is fundamentally just Maths in visual form and in Maths, there IS a right and a wrong answer, so with the right formula, anyone can learn how to improve their drawing.