Our Year 11 artists have been extended, challenged and inspired by their recent experiences at Bundanon – a centre for the arts and learning on the NSW South Coast that was formerly home to renowned landscape painter Arthur Boyd, writes Visual Arts Teacher and Concordia Curator Ms Hannah Chapman.

Earlier this year, Year 11 Visual Arts students travelled to Bundanon for a two-night, three-day intensive art camp designed to deepen their understanding of representation, contemporary practice and the artworld that underpins both HSC and IB Visual Arts.

Set within the stunning landscape of the Shoalhaven, Bundanon provided an immersive environment for students to engage with ideas surrounding art history and contemporary systems of artmaking. The camp began with a series of lectures exploring the evolution of representation – from Classical and Medieval traditions of mimesis, through the transformative impact of the camera, and into Renaissance and Modern shifts in visual language. Students translated these ideas into practice through sustained drawing activities in visual diaries, experimenting with observational strategies and historical conventions.

A key highlight of the camp was working with Artist in Residence Grant Stevens, who shared an overview of his practice and current projects. Stevens introduced students to systems-based approaches to artmaking, encouraging them to consider conceptual intention within contemporary practice. Through guided artmaking activities and collaborative experimentation, students engaged directly with the processes of contemporary video practice.

One student reflected, ‘I appreciated talking one-on-one with the artist to develop a collaborative video work.’ Another shared, ‘I was surprised that Grant was so honest in his artist talk and in his artwork. It made me think about my own experiences differently.’

These conversations gave students insight into the relationship between artist, artwork, world and audience, and demonstrated how contemporary artists bring meaning and understanding to our everyday relationship to technology.

The camp also included a gallery visit, providing students with the opportunity to encounter artworks firsthand and consider curatorial context. Evening sessions extended learning through lectures and film, prompting discussion about how representation has shifted ‘after the camera’ and how artists respond to technological and cultural change.

Beyond the classroom, the camp fostered independence, collaboration and critical discussion. Students moved between theory and practice, strengthening their understanding of syllabus concepts while building confidence in their own developing practice.

The Bundanon experience was both intellectually rigorous and creatively inspiring – an invaluable foundation as students begin their Preliminary course and prepare for the challenges of senior Visual Arts.

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