On Wednesday 22 May, the opening ceremony of a collective art exhibition was inaugurated at St Margaret College Girls’ Secondary school, Cospicua. Students, art teachers and staff members participated from the 10 schools forming part of St Margaret College, consisting of seven primary schools - Zabbar Primary A, Zabbar Primary B, Xghajra Primary, Kalkara Primary, Senglea Primary, Cospicua Primary, Vittoriosa Primary and 3 Secondary Schools-Cospicua Girls’ Secondary, Verdala Boys’ Secondary, Zejtun Girls’ Secondary.

The displayed artworks include a variety of 2-D and 3-D works, dealing with different topics and a range of techniques and media were used, such as drawing, painting, collage, photography and ceramics.

The St Margaret College Art exhibition was organised by Charmaine Zammit, Head of Department (Art & Design), supported by Maria McNamara, the College Principal and Joe Ellul, Head of School Cospicua Girls’ Secondary school. 

The exhibition itself can be compared to the creative process of an artwork. First there was the inspiration of the concept for an Art exhibition, it then expanded through the process of discussion and investigation of what needs to be done. Later on it proceeded to develop and take shape, through the contribution of colleagues with creative minds, working together as a team and coming together through art.

During the inauguration of the SMC Art Exhibition, an audience of students, teachers, staff members and guests of different ages, abilities and roles came together through art. Some people still see art a means of decoration, but art serves more than that.

Art also serves to bring connections as confirmed by most collective exhibitions. Hence, through this art exhibition, the artists, college staff members, student participants and the viewers at the exhibition could communicate together.

Indeed, art is a means of communication. Likewise, art education should no longer be considered as the subject for decorating the school corridors and the stage backdrops during a school prize day. Bearing in mind the myriad of benefits of art education, the subject does not only teach students techniques of using art media, but it integrates life where students get to know themselves and the world around them.

Through art education students learn to think critically and creatively, to consider the rapid changes brought by today’s era as challenges and be able to communicate through expressing their ideas. The creative process of creating an artwork guides the students to become knowledge constructors and hence independent learners which moreover leads them to become lifelong learners. 

Pablo Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist. The challenge is to remain an artist after you grow up” and the SMC Art Exhibition displays not only artworks by children and teenagers as students of the college but also by adult staff-members at the college.

This shows that these staff-members can serve as role-models for the students, through promoting an example of adults who still take the challenge of remaining artists after childhood.

The SMC Art Exhibition intends to provide an educational experience for all through visual art. Consequently, the artworks have not remained displayed only on the walls of an art room/ classroom, or in the school corridors and for the College community but they are made available for the Public.

For this reason, the public is invited to visit St Margaret College, Cospicua Girls’ secondary from 23 to 29 May during school hours, so that more people come together through art.

For more information, visit http://smc.cospicuagirls.skola.edu.mt/?p=384