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Branksome Hall News

Grade 12 art students’ online “gallery opening” an immersive celebration of hard work

There’s no true digital substitute for the excitement of an opening night art show, with real guests taking in the actual scale of the work and all the visual exploration on display.
Nevertheless, thanks to an exciting collaboration between the Senior School’s art department and our Director of Innovation and Technology, Michael Ianni-Palarchio, we encourage you to take a tour of this innovative online art gallery, which showcases two-years’ worth of our Grade 12 art students’ hard work and creativity. With seven navigable galleries you can “enter” to view the works on the walls, the site also includes curatorial statements and a guest book.
 
Part of the Diploma Programme 2’s assessment is the curation of artwork which historically works beautifully with the annual spring art show for Grades 7 to 11 in the Athletics and Wellness Centre gym, says visual arts and film teacher Samantha Koscec.
 
“The Grade 12s were very disappointed as many of them look forward to the show, some since Grade 7,” says Koscec.

Ianni-Palarchio researched a variety of forums, and ultimately curated their work virtually, including staging the pieces and title cards within the gallery. However, it’s a rewarding and impressive experience to wander through the rooms, especially after reviewing the accompanying statements explaining the curatorial rationales and intents. 
 
For example, Eliza is exploring the ways gender and sexuality contribute to the structure of society. Katie chooses to explore identity and her perceived place in society, specifically the consequences of growing up in the age of social media, while Izzy examines the dichotomy between external markers of identity and internal psychological landscapes. 
 
“This was a beautiful collaboration between IT and the art department to create a new way to showcase the 12s work and celebrate,” says Koscec. Moving forward, even though the live art show will resume, she plans to continue with a virtual version as well.   
 
“It's a wonderful way to reach a broader audience and we can archive each year, too.”
 
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LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We wish to acknowledge this land on which Branksome operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work and go to school on this land.

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