VCE Art Making and Exhibiting

In this unit students explore materials, techniques and processes in a range of art forms. They expand their knowledge and understanding of the characteristics, properties and application of materials used in art making. They explore selected materials to understand how they relate to specific art forms and how they can be used in the making of artworks. Students also explore the historical development of specific art forms and investigate how the characteristics, properties and use of materials and techniques have changed over time. Throughout their investigation students become aware of and understand the safe handling of materials they use.

Students explore the different ways artists use materials, techniques and processes. The students’ exploration and experimentation with materials and techniques stimulates ideas, inspires different ways of working and enables a broad understanding of the specific art forms. Their exploration and experimentation is documented in both visual and written form in a Visual Arts journal. 

In Unit 2 students continue to research how artworks are made by investigating how artists use aesthetic qualities to represent ideas in artworks. They broaden their investigation to understand how artworks are displayed to audiences, and how ideas are represented to communicate meaning. 

Students respond to a set theme and progressively develop their own ideas. Students learn how to develop their ideas using materials, techniques and processes, and art elements and art principles. They consolidate these ideas to plan and make finished artworks, reflecting on their knowledge and understanding of the aesthetic qualities of artworks. The planning and development of at least one finished artwork are documented in their Visual Arts journal.

Students investigate how artists use art elements and art principles to develop aesthetic qualities and style in an artwork. Working in their Visual Arts journal they begin to discover and understand how each of the art elements and art principles can be combined to convey different emotions and expression in their own and others’ artworks. They also explore how art elements and art principles create visual language in artworks. 

Students begin to understand how exhibitions are planned and designed and how spaces are organised for exhibitions. They also investigate the roles associated with the planning of exhibitions and how artworks are selected and displayed in specific spaces. This offers students the opportunity to engage with exhibitions, whether they are in galleries, museums, other exhibition spaces or site-specific spaces.

In this unit students are actively engaged in art making using materials, techniques and processes. They explore contexts, subject matter and ideas to develop artworks in imaginative and creative ways. They also investigate how artists use visual language to represent ideas and meaning in artworks. The materials, techniques and processes of the art form the students work with are fundamental to the artworks they make. 

Students use their Visual Arts journal to record their art making. They record their research of artists, artworks and collected ideas and also document the iterative and interrelated aspects of art making to connect the inspirations and influences they have researched. The Visual Arts journal demonstrates the students’ exploration of contexts, ideas and subject matter and their understanding of visual language. They also document their exploration of and experimentation with materials, techniques and processes. From the ideas documented in their Visual Arts journal, students plan and develop artworks. These artworks may be made at any stage during this unit, reflecting the students’ own ideas and their developing style. 

In order to receive constructive feedback on the progress of their art making, and to develop and extend their ideas, students present a critique of their artworks to their peer group. Students show a selection of their developmental work and artworks from their Visual Arts journal in their presentation. After the critique students evaluate their work and revise, refine and resolve their artworks. 

Students will visit an exhibition in either a gallery, museum, other exhibition space or site-specific space. They must visit or view a minimum of two exhibitions during the current year of study. Exhibitions studied must be from different art spaces, to give students an understanding of the breadth of artwork in current exhibitions and to provide a source of inspiration and influence for the artworks they make. The exhibitions can be selected from the recommended list of exhibitions in the VCE Art Making and Exhibiting Exhibitions List, which is published annually on the VCAA website. Students must select one exhibition space for study in Unit 3 and a different exhibition space for study in Unit 4. Students research the exhibition of artworks in these exhibition spaces and the role a curator has in planning and writing information about an exhibition. 

In Unit 4 students make connections to the artworks they have made in Unit 3, consolidating and extending their ideas and art making to further refine and resolve artworks in -specific art forms. The progressive resolution of these artworks is documented in the student’s Visual Arts journal, demonstrating their developing technical skills in a specific art form as well as their refinement and resolution of subject matter, ideas, visual language, aesthetic qualities and style. Students also reflect on their selected finished artworks and evaluate the materials, techniques and processes used to make them. 

The Visual Arts journal in Unit 4 includes:

• the continued development of the student’s own art making in a specific art form

• evaluation of art making in a specific art form

• the visual documentation of the processes used for finalising artworks

• annotations to support visual documentation

• research into the connections between specific artists and artworks and the student’s own artworks

• research about the presentation of artworks in exhibitions

• research undertaken for conservation and care of artworks

• research about the selection of artworks for display and the planning of exhibitions 

• written and visual research to make connections with specific artists and artwork.

The progress of individual student artworks is an important element of Unit 4, and throughout the unit students demonstrate their ability to communicate to others about their artworks. They articulate the development of subject matter, ideas, visual language, their choice of materials, their understanding of the inherent characteristics and properties of the material, their use of techniques and processes, and aesthetic qualities. Acting on their critique from Unit 3, students further develop their ideas and broaden their thinking to make new artworks.

Students organise the presentation of their finished artworks. They make decisions on how their artworks will be displayed, the lighting they may use, and any other considerations they may need to present their artworks. Students also present a critique of their artworks and receive and reflect on feedback.

Students continue to engage with galleries, museums, other exhibition spaces and site-specific spaces and examine a variety of exhibitions. They review the methods used and considerations involved in the presentation, conservation and care of artworks, including the conservation and care of their own artworks. Students must visit or view a minimum of two exhibitions during the current year of study. Exhibitions studied must be from different art spaces, to give students an understanding of the breadth of artwork in current exhibitions and to provide a source of inspiration and influence for the artworks they make. Students must select one exhibition space for study in Unit 3 and a different exhibition space for study in Unit 4.