As Melbourne Grammar’s latest Artist-in-Residence, painter and sculptor Nadine Christensen says she has been struck by the openness, curiosity, and enthusiasm of our Senior School students.
“I’ve been impressed by their willingness to try, even when they’re uncertain about the results,” says Nadine, who has been working with students two days per week over a six week period. “I’ve found them to be extremely astute in their questions – they’ve really led our conversations.”
Encouraging openness in the classroom
Nadine has led classes with Year 9 and 10 students, and has had her own work area within the Year 11 and 12 studio space so interacts with these students in a less formal manner. Throughout her residency, she says she has been able to progress her own practice as well as share knowledge and experience with our student-artists.
“Melbourne Grammar already has active artists working as teachers, and I see myself as being able to offer one more perspective,” Nadine says. “I’ve been delighted to have individual chats with the Year 11 and 12 students, discussing their creative progress, talking about how to manage deadlines, and sharing what I know about the work of curation.”
“In my own practice, I try to stay open and porous,” Nadine adds. “I want to expose new ideas and explore new possibilities, and that’s led me to uncover aspects of my work I didn’t know were there. That’s the approach I want to share with these young artists.”
Multiple moments of artistic success
Nadine emphasises that the process of art-making is often non-linear, and that sharing this with students has been particularly satisfying.
“What I’ve relished has been unravelling the step-by-step approach to show that an artwork can have many moments of potential completion,” she explains. “For example, in some classes, we’ve been starting a project with collage, then moving through other techniques, and ending with painting. For some students, the best result might be the final painting, but for others the most successful work may have been the collage we began with.
I hope I can open up the possibility of finding success at different stages, not just at the very end.”
“I have really benefited from being here at Melbourne Grammar,” Nadine says. “The time to work on new drawings and the conversations I’ve had with staff and students will continue to inform my work.”
