Creative Arts Overview
"Technicoloured Learning: A Creative Journey at Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School"
The creative arts program at Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School is vibrant and diverse, providing students and teachers with a rich understanding of artistic practice. Over the past six years, we have engaged in educational lectures, hands-on experiences, and exhibitions with renowned and highly successful Australian artists, designers, photographers, architects, engineers, fashion designers, sustainable artists, and innovative thinkers. These interactions have fuelled our students' aspirations and provided them with the momentum to achieve in the creative arts field. This collaboration with skilled arts practitioners is what sets our specialist school apart.
Our creative exchange program has involved the following stakeholders:
- Brad Eastman (aka Beastman): Global Street Artist
- Lauren Grabara: Multi-interdisciplinary Artist and Educator.
- Jay Manley: Mechanical Design Engineer with Tesla Motors.
- Blake Griffith: Textile Designer and Art Educator.
- Pirra Griffiths: Lecturer at UTS and Billy Blue College of Design, and founder of Allerton Swimwear.
- Trevor McDonald: Blue Mountains acrylics painter.
- Michael Black: Interdisciplinary illustrator, artist, and designer.
- Alice Dardaneliotis: Artist and Educator.
- Paul Castro: Global Fashion Designer.
- Grace Lillian Lee: First Nation Artist and Designer.
- Juan Pablo: Architect, Sculptor, and Sustainable Designer.
- Clary Akon: Artist and Sculptor.
- Ruth Hessey: Film Maker and Program Director of the WASTE NOT Trashion Fashion Project.
- Paul Mosig and Rachel Peachy: Multi-Media Artists and Human and Environmental Artists.
- Locust Jones: Artist.
- Taryn Malzard: Artist.
- Joan Ross: Painter, Film Producer, and Installation Artist.
- Katrina James: Photographer.
- Sophia Terra-Ziva: Photographer, Stylist, and Art Director.
- Adam Douglas Hill (aka Blak Douglass): Artist and Archibald Prize winner 2022.
- Dr. Katrina Sandbach: Senior Lecturer in Design (Visual Communication) at Western Sydney University. Angela Von Boxtel: Eco Artist and Designer.
- Stephanie Aceglav: Journalist, Educator, Entrepreneur, and Podcaster.
- Johnny Romeo: Pop Artist.
- Scott Nagy: Street and Mural Artist
These experiences have culminated in the launch of the Nepean Festival of Arts and Design in 2022. This annual exhibition celebrates the works of emerging and professional artists, photographers, designers, and tertiary students from Penrith, Blue Mountains, and Hawkesbury. The festival provides a platform for our students to showcase their talents and reinforces the positive narratives surrounding their artistic endeavours.
These impactful and meaningful experiences have strengthened engagement in the creative arts and have led to numerous success stories for our community in Outer Western Sydney. From 2016 to 2023, we have had 9 Selected Art Express candidates, 26 artworks in the DOE Nagoya Art Exchange, 20 Winners and selections for the NSW Reconciliation Challenge, 2 Young Archie Finalist, 9 finalists and 2 regional winners in Penrith Regional Gallery's Youth Art competition, 3 consecutive Trashion Fashion winners, the HOPE Butterflies Installation at NSW Parliament House, and a Penrith Young Innovators Award. We have also secured grants such as the Artist Insight Blue Mountains Cultural Centre 2020, DET Arts Priority Grant Deadly Arts 2023, and DET Arts Funding for The Nepean Festival of Arts and Design 2023.
The spirit of creativity runs deep in our school, enriching the events, experiences, achievements, and innovations of our students, community, and society. We invite to join us.