Art
"All children are born artists" - Pablo Picasso
The majority of the rooms in this dynamic and high-achieving Department are housed within the historic former palace of Henry VIII, described as “a warren of atelier-style studios” by the Good Schools’ Guide.
Diversity of work and a strong co-curricular offering are characteristic features of the Department. Students are encouraged to find their own creative voice as a starting point for their personal development as young artists and designers, and the Department is open for students to visit throughout the week. We believe that Art & Design gives the student a distinctive voice to explore and express whatever is relevant to them.
Facilities
The Art, Design & Technology Department currently has well-resourced teaching rooms and studios alongside a variety of other teaching and learning areas and generous storage space. There has recently been a major expansion in the provision of permanent individual workspaces for all A Level students in Art & Design (Fine Art) and Art & Design (Photography). In addition, there are three main Art & Design classrooms and two well-equipped computer suites.
Each student is given their own iPad, with digital applications such as Procreate and tuition in the applications themselves. One recent visitor to the Department has been Roz Hall who is a pioneering artist in the use of Procreate. A number of our students claimed prizes, four in total, in this year’s ISA Digital Art competition, with most entries done within the aforementioned application.
Parts of the airy and well-equipped Year 13 Art Studio and the newly-refurbished Year 12 workspaces
The recently refurbished digital suite and a spacious darkroom, accessible to all year groups
Departmental Achievements
Students outperform national expectations in public examinations in every regard. In 2019 and 2022, the two most recent year of normal examination processes, a quarter of students gained a 9 in GCSE Art & Design (Fine Art) in each year. In 2022, a further 75% of GCSE Art students gained a grade 8 or higher and 90% achieved at least a grade 7 with no grades below a 6 within a sizeable cohort. At A Level, anything below a B grade is extremely rare and below a C (even if the student has not studied the subject at GCSE) is unheard of. In most years, the A* grade has been the most common grade achieved by our Sixth Form artists and photographers. The examination board has commended the Department “for its inventive and collegiate approach to the delivery of the Edexcel specification”, and New Hall School has become a regular supplier of exemplar A Level artwork for the examination board to use in important training events.
The Department also hosted the inaugural, highly successful HMC/Group14 Art Conference, which incorporated a supportive group of leading independent schools, including Benenden and Roedean.
Currently, an exhibition of work by students and staff is on show in the Pelican Gallery, including numerous portraits of the heroic staff in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
For further details regarding Art, Design & Technology at New Hall School, please contact Head of Art, Design & Technology Mr G Hughes BA Hons Fine Art (Coventry), MFA (Master in Fine Art) (Reading), PG Cert Leadership & Management in Education (Sheffield), FRSA, [email protected]
Twitter – @NewHallArtDept
Instagram – @new_hall_adt
Creative Alumni
Our students usually gain admittance to their preferred university destinations. These have included:
- Architecture courses at UCL and other top ten institutions
- History of Art at the Courtauld Institute
- BA Fine Art, Design and Graphic Design courses at UAL, Central Saint Martins and Goldsmiths, without the need for a foundation year.
Notable art alumni include:
- surrealist painter, Leonora Carrington
- fashion designer, Anya Hindmarch CBE
- photographer, Antoine Geiger
- sculptor, Sioban Coppinger
- sculptor (Member of the Royal Society of Sculptors) & letter carver, Mary Anstee-Parry
- 3D artist & animator, Anna Huber
- film makers, Rose Glass and Cindy Buxton
- equestrian painter, Katie O’Sullivan
