- Places
- Academy Green
- Arboretum
- Former Cemetery
- 1871 Building
- Convent
- Orchard
- Novitiate Garden
- Restoration
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Hooper Wing: The 1910 Addition
Art Studios
Art Studio Room(click for larger image)
Three rooms on the main floor of the new wing were designated for the art studios, and an assistant art teacher was hired to help with the expanding classes. Different rooms were set up to accommodate different mediums. China painting took place in a studio with long tables and kilns for firing. Painting and drawing were done in rooms with tall windows and rows of easels.
Moulds taken from classical sculptures were used to help with drawing skills, and these, along with objects for still life work in paint and charcoal, would be arranged on tables at the front of the class. Exhibitions of art work by the Sisters, students and community members taking classes in the Art Department were held on a regular basis, turning the rooms from studios into galleries.
The Hooper Wing today(click for larger image)
The large number of rooms devoted to the visual arts is a product of the success of the art department at the Academy. Already popular by the time Sister Osithe arrived, the classes were taught by a long line of talented women. In the 1960s and 70s, Ruth Hall was the art teacher. The same policy of encouragement and open doors meant that girls who needed a contemplative place to express their creativity could use these studios.
In a fitting re-use for the building, the 1910 wing of St. Ann's became Ministry of Education offices, after the renovation was completed in the 1990s. Where the girls once studied, slept and created works of art and music, now decisions are made about the future of education for students in schools today.