Thanks to Jo Tate, DET Virtual Learning Senior Project Officer for this blog post.

Recently, students from Victorian schools engaged in an exciting virtual event celebrating portraiture in art, Artlink to Archibald, presented by the Art Gallery of Ballarat’s Archibald Education Program. The program included a brief history of portraiture, an overview of the Archibald Prize exhibition, and a portrait workshop with a professional artist.

625 students from 20 Victorian schools, including schools in remote regions and students from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds were given the opportunity to participate in this online event.

Artists and models featured during the course of workshops, enhancing the program. Each workshop provided a historical context and hands on drawing of a live model with a resident artist.  Time was allowed towards the end of each workshop for students to share their art with participating schools, via MSLYNC and Polycom.  

“It was exciting to push the capacity of the technology for such an effective program catering for so many simultaneous end points in schools.   We are currently conducting a formal evaluation to assist future planning”, remarked DET Virtual Learning Coach, Jo Tate who helped to facilitate the program.

The Art Gallery of Ballarat began offering virtual events in September 2015.  The success of the first event, Bunjil The Creator led to the inclusion of a virtual component for each exhibition with a school based component.  The Gallery is currently planning an ongoing event based around portraits permanently in their exhibition and another program based around Art as a cultural statement suitable for international sister school partnerships.  

The workshop was supported by Gandel Philanthropy, as part of its support of FACE, the Gallery’s Archibald Education Program.