This year we were very proud that Ella Goldwater in our Lower 6 represented Habs Girls at the ARTiculation regional heat held by the Courtauld Gallery. ARTiculation is a nationally acclaimed public speaking competition designed to promote the appreciation and discussion of visual culture. ARTiculation engages young people with art and develops their confidence and ability to express their opinions, thoughts and conclusions.
Ella spoke about Artemisia’s Painting of Susanna and the Elders and was praised for her remarkable presentation, which took an evocative look at the work. Dr Wenny Teo, A Courtauld Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Asian Art commented on how much she enjoyed listening it.
Ella writes here about her experience of competing.
The ARTiculation competition, which encourages students to submit ten minute presentations discussing a piece of art of their choice, ran slightly differently this year due to Covid. I was delighted to place first in the in-school heats, having written and recorded my presentation on the painting ‘Susanna and the Elders’ by Artemisia Gentileschi. I looked at the painting in close detail, discovering the fine details that pointed towards Artemisia’s feminist viewpoints, and discussed the background of the painting as well as comparisons between this beautiful piece and others depicting the same story.
After a few minor tweaks were made to the presentation following the in-school round, I was invited to attend the Regional Final taking place on the 22 January this year. Running over Zoom, I was competing against 6 other very talented and enthusiastic students from schools in the area. While delivering our own presentations during the event, I also greatly enjoyed educating myself in the fascinating artworks selected by the other competitors.
The event was adjudicated by lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Asian Art, Dr Wenny Teo, who fed back on each presentation towards the end. Although I unfortunately did not place for the following round, I hugely enjoyed participating in the competition, and found the experience a great way to advance my skills in public speaking and to connect with other art-enthusiasts from my age group in the country. I learnt a great deal about how to view and interpret artwork during my process of research for the project, and greatly enjoyed embracing this fantastic opportunity to share my love of art with others even in the midst of the pandemic.
