Grammar Gazette- Issue 2, 2011

grammar gazette SPRING 2011

MS MICHELLE JAMES, PHILANTHROPIC PROGRAMMES MANAGER Jimmie the Punk enrols at Girls Grammar

fictional and biographical stories Family Pictures (Allen, 1994)—is named Jimmie. Davida says that she ‘wrote the story in words, having painted it’, and that the painting’s title also metamorphosed when ‘Sara became Jimmie in the written word’. On display in the Barbara Fielding Room of the Cherrell Hirst Creative Learning Centre, Jimmie the Punk exemplifies Davida’s themes and style. Her subject matter is often the family and domestic life, reflecting the importance of women’s experience. The stridently hued figure of Jimmie stands, hands on hips, glaring at her overwhelmed mother who reels back with a hand raised in mute plea in the face of her daughter’s defiance. Davida’s expressive brushwork conveys an immediacy and honesty that resonates with the viewer, particularly with teenage girls and their mothers. Davida has an impressive exhibition history, having held numerous solo exhibitions in Australia since her first at the Ray Hughes Gallery in Brisbane in 1973. Her work has been shown internationally and is represented in the collections of the major Australian public galleries, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. This stunning painting is a significant addition to the School’s artwork collection. We are sincerely grateful to Davida for her generosity in gifting this painting for the benefit of students, staff, and the wider School community. Reference: Allen, D. (1994). Jimmie the punk. In B. Yahp (Ed.), Family Pictures (pp. 23–51). Pymble: Angus & Robertson. Footnote: Girls Grammar aims to build our artwork collection, particularly the representation of Queensland female artists. If you would like to discuss the possibility of donating an artwork to the School through the Cultural Gifts Program, please contact the Philanthropic Programmes Manager.

Serving our community ROTEM NUSEM, SERVICE CAPTAIN

This year I have had the privilege of being selected as the Queensland winner of the ‘Oaktree Schools 4 Schools Ambassador Challenge’ as well as receiving the ‘Order of Australia Association Senior Student Citizenship Gold Medallion and Certificate’. As the Queensland Youth Ambassador for Oaktree Schools 4 Schools I will be travelling to Cambodia at the end of the year for a month to be involved in community service projects to enhance the education of young Cambodian children.

Both of these opportunities have helped me to realize how valuable community service and pride can be. This year I am one of the two School Service Captains and through this I have gained a better understanding of the School’s commitment to service initiatives and the extent to which the staff, students and parents are willing to donate their time and effort to worthy causes. My service commitments include being a group leader in a youth group called ‘Betar’ which I have been involved in for over eight years. As well as this, I am involved in many

of the School’s service clubs and I enjoy watching Grammar girls come together to support our wider community. I feel that community service not only benefits the community but also the volunteer. It gives a greater appreciation of the time and effort required to make even the slightest change. My experiences with service over the years have allowed me to develop a greater sense of pride in the Brisbane community and I feel honoured that my efforts have been recognized to such a great extent.

Davida Allen – Jimmie the Punk 1992. Gift by the artist to Brisbane Girls Grammar School through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2010.

Instead of running, jumping or throwing at the Interhouse Athletics, Debating Captains Ruby Ramachandran and Josephine MacMillan, attended ‘People’s Question Time’ at the State Library of Queensland. Dr Bell and Ms Hennessey were also in attendance. This symposium focused on education in Queensland with panel guests comprising: Premier Anna Bligh, Minister for Education Cameron Dick, Professor Paul Mazerolle from Griffith University, psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg and the Principal of Brisbane State High, Wade Haynes. Topics discussed included the placement of Year 7 in secondary schools, the Australian curriculum, teacher training, religious education in state schools and the use of social media. We were particularly struck by a comment made by Mr Wade Haynes who said that at Brisbane State High School he was focused on developing a culture where it was ‘not only okay to achieve but an accepted norm to achieve, behave and do the right thing’. Here at Girls Grammar we are indeed fortunate that this aspiration is already well embedded into the culture of our School and that our current aspiration seeks to go further and be a leader in exceptional scholarship. People’s Question Time Queensland Premier Ms Anna Bligh, Ruby Ramachandran, Josephine MacMillan, Minister for Education, Mr Cameron Dick

A serendipitous meeting between Principal Dr Amanda Bell and Archibald Prize-winning Queensland artist Davida Allen has resulted in the generous gift of a significant artwork to the School. A long-term admirer of Davida’s vibrant, expressionistic style, Dr Bell was delighted to meet her at the judging of the Tattersall’s Landscape Art Prize last year. Davida won the Tattersall’s Prize, adding this prestigious award to her achievements since embarking on her professional career almost forty years ago. At the event, Dr Bell and Davida discussed the Girls Grammar art collection and our participation in the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, which encourages donations of culturally significant gifts to public collections by offering tax incentives to the donor. Davida was delighted to contribute to the School’s growing collection of artworks, declaring she had just the painting—her big, bold 1992 work

Jimmie the Punk. She describes the painting depicting ‘a rebellious adolescent girl—all powerful in this rebellion and energy for life — whilst the mother figure (in blue) gasps for breath at the ordeal of it all’ as ‘such a poignant subject for a girls’ school’. As an artist and mother of four daughters, art and motherhood are inextricably linked in Davida’s practice. Jimmie the Punk was inspired by her experiences with one of her daughters, Sara, as a teenager; in fact, Davida wrote ‘Sara the Punk’ on the back of the canvas. Sara is now the mother of Davida’s first grandchild, Finnegan, and Davida says that while Sara is ‘triumphant still, just as she is in the painting’ she is ‘the most old fashioned mum, saying things like “the children of today need discipline!” … Life is wonderful is it not!’ In a creative pairing of art and literature, the painting inspired Davida to write a short story in 1994. The heroine in the story—which features in the collection of Australian

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