Visual Arts
Visual arts at St Mary's College: classroom art from Prep to Year 10, VCE Art Making & Exhibiting and Visual Communication Design, Junior and Senior Art Clubs, art smocks, and the 2026 Art Show opening on Thursday 22 October 2026 at 6:00pm.
The Art Studios in Building C are among the busiest rooms on campus: two large studios, a kiln room, a print press and a dedicated VCE folio space where senior students keep their work in progress. Every student from Prep to Year 8 makes art each week, students can continue through electives and VCE, and two after-school Art Clubs give keen artists extra studio time. The year culminates in the College Art Show in October.
Staff
- Ms Ingrid Larsen, Head of Visual Arts — VCE, Years 7–10 and Junior Art Club (art@stmaryswc.vic.edu.au)
- Mr Callum Reyes, Senior art teacher — Years 7–10, Visual Communication Design and Senior Art Club
- Junior classroom art is taught by our specialist teachers in the Junior Art Room; all Prep–Year 6 classes visit the Art Studios for clay and printmaking units
Classroom art
| Years | Program |
|---|---|
| Prep–Year 2 | Weekly art: drawing, painting, collage, clay; a Book Week illustration project each August |
| Years 3–6 | Weekly art: printmaking, sculpture, textiles, digital drawing; Year 6 students paint a leaving canvas displayed in the Junior corridor |
| Years 7–8 | One semester each year of Art (ceramics, painting, art history) and one of Visual Communication Design |
| Years 9–10 | Electives: Art (studio practice), Visual Communication Design, Photography & Digital Media, Ceramics |
| Years 11–12 | VCE Art Making & Exhibiting, VCE Visual Communication Design, VCE Media |
VCE students receive a materials list at the start of each year; the College supplies paint, clay, paper and print materials while students purchase their own visual diary and specialist items (approximately $80–$120 across the year). Details are in the VCE Handbook.
Art Clubs
| Club | Years | Day & time | Venue | Teacher | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior Art Club | 3–6 | Thursday 3:30–4:30pm | Art Studio 1 | Ms Ingrid Larsen | Free |
| Senior Art Club | 7–12 | Monday 3:30–4:45pm | Art Studio 2 | Mr Callum Reyes | Free |
Junior Art Club is capped at 24 students per term; places are offered in the order sign-ups arrive via Parent Portal > Forms > Co-curricular Clubs, with a new sign-up each term so everyone gets a turn. Students work on a term-long project (Term 3: papier-mâché creatures; Term 4: Christmas printmaking) and are collected from the Art Studio 1 door at 4:30pm. Senior Art Club is open studio time: students bring their own projects, use the kiln and press, and receive informal feedback from Mr Reyes. VCE students often use it to work on folios.
Art smocks
All Prep–Year 6 students need a named art smock ($22) from the Uniform Shop, kept at school. Senior students wear a smock or old shirt of their own for wet media.
Art Show 2026
The annual St Mary's Art Show is on Thursday 22 October 2026, 6:00–8:30pm, in Mary MacKillop Hall, with the exhibition remaining open on Friday 23 October 2026 from 8:00am to 4:00pm for families who cannot attend the opening.
| Opening night | Thursday 22 October 2026, 6:00–8:30pm, Hall |
| Official opening | 6:30pm by the Principal, Dr Helen Carmody, with music from the String Ensemble |
| Exhibition continues | Friday 23 October 2026, 8:00am–4:00pm |
| Entry | Free; no RSVP needed |
| Refreshments | P&F drinks and canapés; Brew Brothers coffee van outside the Hall |
| Parking | Main car park via Chapel Road; overflow Sports Centre car park off Convent Lane |
On display:
- VCE folios: the complete Art Making & Exhibiting and Visual Communication Design folios from our Year 12 students, alongside Year 11 work in progress
- Prep–Year 10: at least one work from every student in Prep–Year 6, and selected works from Years 7–10
- Photography & Digital Media projected in the Hall foyer
- Ceramics from the Years 9–10 elective and Senior Art Club
People's Choice and sales
Visitors vote for a People's Choice award in Junior and Senior categories, announced at the Junior assembly on Friday 30 October 2026 and on the Portal. Selected Senior works and Art Club pieces are for sale, priced by the students with their teachers; 20 per cent of each sale goes to the Art department for materials and the remainder to the student. Payment by card at the P&F desk; works can be collected after the exhibition closes on Friday 23 October 2026 at 4:00pm.
Bringing work home
Junior work is returned to classrooms in the week beginning Monday 26 October 2026. Year 12 folios are kept for VCAA authentication until results are released in December and can be collected from Ms Larsen from Monday 14 December 2026.
Competitions and excursions
Students regularly enter the Wattle Ranges Shire Youth Art Prize (entries close Friday 13 November 2026) and Catholic Education art exhibitions. Years 9–12 visit the NGV and a regional gallery each year; permission and payment are via the Portal at least three weeks ahead. Junior students visit the Wattle Creek Library gallery on foot in Term 4.
Contact
Ms Ingrid Larsen, Head of Visual Arts — art@stmaryswc.vic.edu.au or via the office on (03) 9555 0100.