2009-2010 SJK Annual Report - St. John's-Kilmarnock School

SJK Arts Report
Catherine Paleczny, David Newman and Adrian Hoad-Reddick
Visual Art: SJK offers students a
rigorous program of visual art
practice within a stimulating and
challenging academic environment,
which includes the study of
contemporary and historical art, and
cultural theory related to art
production. The program equips
students with practical skills and
theoretical knowledge to make
engaging and informed artwork. The
emphasis of the Visual Arts program is to develop the creative potential
of the individual student in his/her milieu. Students in the program have
the opportunity to work in any area of contemporary art production
including painting, drawing, printmaking, three-dimensional and
installation work, photography, digital art, intermedia, video, performance,
sound, or in any interdisciplinary form. SJK’s Visual Art department is
lead by international and nationally recognized sculptor Catherine
Paleczny.
Drama: 2009-2010 proved to be a very successful year for SJK drama.
The school’s major production continued a tradition at SJK of staging
challenging dramatic works that stretch both actors and audience.
Timberlake Wertenbaker’s play Our Country’s Good is based on actual
historical events as well as the novel The Playmaker, by Australian novelist
Thomas Keneally (author of Schindler’s List). Set in 1788 in Sydney Cove,
Australia, it tells the story of the first play produced in that country,
directed by a military officer and performed by the inmates of the new
penal colony. Wertenbaker’s challenging play contains mature themes and
subject matter exploring questions of the innate goodness or evil of
human nature and the redemptive power of art. Performances at the
Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts in Kitchener took place in late
February and were well attended and well received. Early in 2010,
students in the senior drama class had the opportunity to work with
local playwright Gary Kirkham. Gary took students through the process
of writing for theatre and creating their own short scenes or plays. One
of these pieces, A Pair of Frays by grade 12 student Grayson Moore, was
developed into a short one-act play and produced as SJK’s entry in the
Conference of Independent Schools’ Drama Festival. The play was also