From the Visual Arts Department

Celebrating Creativity: The 2025 Year 12 Visual Art and Design Exhibition

On Friday, October 31, the SAC Foyer Gallery came alive with excitement as students, families, friends, and teachers gathered to celebrate the opening of the 2025 Year 12 Visual Art and Design Exhibition. The evening showcased the incredible creativity and dedication of this talented group of graduating artists and designers.

The exhibition was officially opened by old scholar Jessie Cotton, (class of 2021) who captivated the audience by sharing her journey in the visual arts. Her reflections reminded everyone of the lasting impact of creative exploration and the many pathways to a career in the Visual Arts. Below are some of her inspiring reflections:

“I want to end this by sharing what I wish I could tell myself when I was standing where you are now, it is completely okay, and absolutely possible to have a career in the arts. It is definitely not a one-degree, one-destination kind of journey, but that’s the beauty of it. There’s no single right way to do it, and it will look different for everyone. Building a career in the arts is about taking lots of small steps. Your first step might be showing up to a local gallery or exhibition opening, creating an art account and sharing your work online, joining a market stall to sell your pieces, or reaching out to artists you admire to ask about their practice or even see if you can work alongside them. I have seen how all people from all walks of life, different ages and cultural make it work. It can be challenging at times, and there’s often a lot to balance, but through studying art and working in studios these past few years, I have met some of the happiest, most fulfilled, and most inspired people I know.”

The exhibition features a stunning and diverse collection of works produced as part of the students’ Stage 2 Visual Art and Design courses. From inventive design projects to expressive artworks, the exhibition highlights the impressive technical skill and imagination of our Year 12 students.

At this final exhibition one student’s work is chosen to be part of the permanent exhibition of Year 12 work on the walls of the schools Foyer Gallery. In 2025 the School Acquisition prize was awarded to Design student Issac Adey Parham for the piece ‘Beyond the Woods’. The piece chosen is a set of three, large scale posters illustrating characters for a computer game, a medieval fantasy RPG aimed at teenagers. Each poster illustrates a hybrid protagonists, the centaur, Farris, a fairy, Elida and a nymph, Delta. As a faculty we were impressed by Issac’s skill and imagination.

Visitors and students alike have been inspired by the exhibition, which will remain on display in the Foyer Gallery until Friday, November 21. We invite everyone to stop by and experience the remarkable talent and creativity of the Class of 2025.

Ms Michelle Barratt
Visual Arts Coordinator

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