Black dresses and high heels: when St Mary’s girls are not in leotards, overalls or practising their instruments, they can be found at the annual cultural awards evening. The celebration of one another’s achievements is a highlight on the cultural talent. This year, the theme of “stepped into the shoes” of the artists, actors, musicians and writers was explored. The evening was brilliantly structured and featured a diverse range of entertainment — from moving sculptures to mermaids reciting poetry in the pond. Our hosts kept changing their shoes as they took us down “The Walk”.

This was a night of firsts for the Art department, as they painted and doodled their way through the evening. In a flurry of colour, the audience was exposed to expressive art in a live art performance piece done by the talented Form IV art girls. Impressively, in their heels and cocktail dresses, they used controlled brushstrokes, splats of paint, scraping, dripping and dry brushing to express the colourful atmosphere of the evening. Another new initiative was the “Audience Art” station resulting in playful doodles and many smiles.

The Form III Visual Art girls showcased some of their artistic films, which made use of painting and stop-motion animation techniques as well as celebrated their cinematic skills.

The evening featured the awarding of well-deserved prizes, but it was evident that the true reward of any artistic endeavour lies in the camaraderie, friendships and creativity shared by the girls. The success of this event sent a palpable message of hope for the future.

Meg Lendrum and Jordyn Dreyer

Form III