Southern Suburbs BM; Tuesday, 7th February 2012; Gymea NSW; 4:30 pm. read more

PIP Maintenance of Accreditation - Castle Hill; Monday, 13th February 2012; 4:30-6:30 pm read more

Hunter Valley BM; Monday, 13th February 2012; New Lambton NSW; 5:00 pm. read more

Northern Suburbs BM; Monday, 13th February 2012; Cammeray NSW; 4:30 pm. read more

Central Metropolitan BM; Tuesday, 14th February 2012; Burwood NSW; 4:30 pm. read more

PIP Cyber Savvy - Dee Why; Wednesday 15 February 2012; 4:30-6:30 pm read more

South Coast BM; Wednesday, 15th February 2012; Woonona NSW; 6:45 pm. read more

Penrith Blue Mountains BM; Wednesday, 15th February 2012; Penrith NSW; 4:30 pm. read more

Metropolitan East BM; Wednesday, 15th February 2012; Randwick NSW; 4:30 pm. read more

Central Coast BM; Thursday, 16th February 2012; Gosford NSW; 4:30 pm. read more

IEU Reps Training Day - Tamworth; Friday 17 February 2012; 9:15-3:15pm read more

Mid North Coast BM; Friday, 17th February 2012; Nambucca Heads NSW; 6:00 pm. read more

South East Branch Meeting; Friday, 17th February 2012; Griffith NSW; 6:00 pm. read more

Riverina BM; Friday, 17th February 2012; Wagga Wagga NSW; 7:30 pm. read more

North West Branch Meeting; Friday, 17th February 2012; Tamworth NSW; 5:30 pm. read more

Principals BM; Saturday, 18th February 2012; IEU Office Parramatta; 10:00 am. read more

Cumberland BM; Monday, 20th February 2012; IEU Office Parramatta; 4:30 pm. read more

PIP Maintenance of Accreditation - Sydney City; Monday 20 February 2012; 4.30 - 6.30pm read more

Ku-ring-gai BM; Thursday, 21st February 2012; Hornsby NSW; 4:30 pm. read more

IEU Reps Training Day - Orange, Friday 24 Feb 2012; 9.15 to 3.15 read more

North Coast BM; Wednesday, 22nd February 2012; IEU Office Lismore; 5:00 pm. read more

PIP Maintenance of Accreditation - Revesby Heights; Wednesday 22 February 2012; 4:30-6:30pm read more

Monaro BM; Thursday, 23rd February 2012; Barton ACT; 4:15 pm. read more

Lansdowne BM; Thursday, 23rd February 2012; Fairfield NSW; 4:30 pm. read more

Central Western BM; Friday, 24th February 2012; Orange NSW; 7:30 pm. read more

PIP Maintenance of Accreditation - Forbes; Monday 27 February 2012; 4.30-6.30 read more

Colorado Kate Realises Artistic Dream

I am on a teacher exchange in Denver, Colorado. A medium sized city in the United States that is partially arid desert, snow capped ski fields and suburbia. And, Jean Claude and Christo are celebrating New York City with an Installation entitled The Gates.

So anyway I am teaching in a massive co-ed state senior high school in a suburb in the Denver metro area called Thornton.

Horizon High School has a 2200 strong student population (and growing) and about 200 staff. The art department is a vibrant, enthusiastic faculty in the school who teach Studio Practice. Painting, Drawing, Ceramics, Photography and Sculpture and Art integration - that is where I come in.

Art is integrated into the Core and elective subjects as a way to bring the Visual Arts into the everyday classroom. Today I taught an art history lesson on the Renaissance and completed it with a practical lesson on Hans Holbein's The Ambassadors and an anamorphic drawing lesson. So here comes the dream part.

The art department (Suzi Melly and Kim Colegrove), my husband (Grant Shortis) and my two kids (Zachary-7 and Imogen-3) traveled to NYC. It was the President's Day long weekend, it was also the last viewing weekend of The Gates in Central Park!

So I managed to convince Kim and Suzi to take a Professional Day on Friday and come with us (twisted arms!) to Central Park. We were driving - 30 hours straight through the night. This is unbelievable the experience of knowing Christo was only so far away. Thursday night was Parent Teacher night, so 7.30 couldn't come any earlier. Finally, Teachers in tow, home to our exchange house to a rented Dodge Mini van that seated 7 people and we were off.

Portable DVD player playing Mary Kate and Ashley's New York Minute and great enthusiasm and laughter for this 30 hour non-stop drive we were to undertake. Though Kansas (with many Dorothy items for sale in Truck Stops), St Louis, Pennsylvania (yes, Hershey does smell like chocolate) and Pittsburgh (no time for Andy's gravestone) into New York.

The Holland Tunnel was jam packed into NYC on this Saturday lunch time. We drove into our favourite city, Lady Liberty shining in the winter sun and The Gates as bright and gorgeously saffron as we had expected. The afternoon, night and morning were spent checking out the fabric, the folds, the sizes, the posts, the feeling and of course photographing (three art teachers!) and then, back to Colorado. Another 30 hours through cities and states only days before visited to be back at school for Tuesday morning classes (school starts at 7am!).

To experience an installation of this magnitude was inspiring and with many photos to share this was an unbelievable teaching experience never to be forgotten. This was our second trip to the big Apple in the 3 months we've been here and with 9 months still to go, here we come NYC.

Kate Coleman
Art Integrator
Horizon High School
Aka Visual Arts Coordinator, Bethany College.