Nationally showcased West Moreton Anglican College art draws on First Nations culture
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West Moreton Anglican College students have been nationally recognised, with four Year 10 Visual Art projects selected by the Art Gallery of South Australia for their prestigious online student gallery
West Moreton Anglican College (WestMAC) students have been nationally recognised, with four Year 10 Visual Art projects selected by the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) for their prestigious online student gallery.
WestMAC is the only school outside South Australia to be featured in the AGSA’s online student gallery, which is widely considered a leading national resource for First Nations visual arts education.
The published collections include cyanotypes, soft self-portraits, ink drawings and mixed media collages.
The 59 selected artworks were created collaboratively in 2023 and 2024 by 46 students under the guidance of Visual Art teacher Annabel Simmonds.
Created in small groups, the pieces were designed as non-assessed learning experiences that explored First Nations perspectives and fostered inclusive artistic practice.
“These pieces are about more than technique — they reflect who we are as a community and how we meaningfully engage with culture and Country,” Ms Simmonds said.
“It’s a real honour to have our students’ work recognised in this way.”
For students it was an invaluable experience to both enhance their artistic abilities and enrich their understanding of First Nations cultures.
“I remember getting out the huge maps of Australia and learning to pronounce and spell the Aboriginal names of places I had been,” Year 12 student Abby said.
“We divided Australia into a continent and mapped all the individual regions that the artists were from — I then got why some people do basket weaving and some people do weather maps; it was about the environment the artist lived in.”
“I learnt that different regions have styles and ways of making art specific to where they live,” Year 12 student Lily added.
“People who live near the rivers made a different kind of art to those living by the sea — it wasn’t just ‘water style’ and ‘desert style’.”
AGSA has also published Ms Simmonds’ full teaching synopses and planning documents alongside the artwork, which are now being used by educators across Australia and internationally to inform their own practice.
This recognition builds on the college’s commitment to embedding First Nations perspectives across the curriculum through a unique teaching and learning framework known as the Dandiiri Approach.
This approach is led by WestMAC’s First Nations Learning Innovator, Phyllis Marsh, who works closely with staff to adapt their practice and become Dandiiri knowledge holders.
“A strategic aspect of the Dandiiri Approach is to raise knowledge to enhance education,” Ms Marsh said.
“I work with staff to change their teaching practice so that First Nations knowledge ways are shared in meaningful, authentic ways.
“The impact of this approach is visible in the confidence and creativity shown in our students’ work.”
Year 12 student Brooke, who was part of the 2023 Year 10 Visual Art cohort, found this approach to arts education was an enlightening opportunity to discover new First Nations artists across Australia.
“I liked being taught about the artist in one lesson and then having two lessons to apply the learning straight away,” Brooke said.
“It broke stereotypes for me because we learnt about living artists making art right now and their contemporary style gave me room for understanding and interpretation.”
The work being done in the Visual Arts department was also showcased at the 2024 Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers (HALT) Conference, where it received high praise from education leaders, a major source of pride for WestMAC’s principal, Andrew Peach.
“We are proud of our students and staff who continue to lead through creativity, cultural awareness and educational excellence,” Mr Peach said.
“This recognition reflects the values and vision that guide our college,”.
Author’s Note: View the AGSA gallery and published resources:
• Full Gallery
• Cyanotypes
• Soft Self-Portraits
• Ink Drawings
• Mixed Media Collage
