A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO COURTNEY CROSSETT, WINNER OF THE CARSON BURSARY AWARD
HARMONY VIEWPOINT
By Courtney Crossett
My project is made up of framed sections of our school prayer which have been illustrated in the school colours of purple and green. Each section is put together in the shape of a cross. The paintings are done using watercolour and are set in wooden frames. This project has also been inspired by all the work done during IIEW Harmony 2016 week. My project is an investigation in painting of our school prayer. The reason I wanted to explore the school prayer is that we have used it so many times in school but I was interested in how it was made and what it means for all of us here. This year our school is celebrating 20 years of New-Bridge Integrated College in our community and all the things that make our school special are being used to remind us of why we have chosen to be here.
I have used the cross format in my art work as it is a symbol of forgiveness which brings all religions together. I have chosen the symbol of the cross because it is a universal symbol accepted by all Christian traditions in Northern Ireland. During the celebrations of our 20th anniversary in September we got to see lots of exhibitions and photographs of how the school first came together by the hard work of parents in our community. I saw photos of The Iona Ministry members who wrote the school prayer for Mr Agnew the school’s first principal. My teacher told me how two ladies described how they came up with the line “such different threads to be gathered into unity” while they were on a weaving course. They remarked how all the different threads looked like a mess on the underside but when turned over it revealed the beauty of an intricate pattern where all the colours and textures came as one. This idea inspired me to think about images for other elements of the school prayer and how I could illustrate it for my project investigation. I am really pleased with the final outcome and I think it will be lovely to display in the school so that everyone can appreciate how wonderful our school prayer is.
