When I first arrived in Chile, in order to visit the Grange in June/July 2021, I was required to spend ten days in solitary quarantine before being freed to visit the School and the city. This was of course amidst the pandemic when such measures became necessary and, indeed, it was rather remarkable that I made it to Santiago at all; travelling from the other side of the world at that time was no mean feat. I mention this because such a period of enforced isolation gave me a rare gift: time and space to think, reflect and read. One of the first publications I picked up in my hotel room was a copy of the GRAF booklet from 2019 (a supply of Grange literature had been very thoughtfully prepared for me ahead of my arrival) and the theme that year was “Chiaroscuro”. I was very struck both by the concept and scale of the project but also thrilled that it reflected the centrality of the Arts at a School that I might, one day, be fortunate enough to lead.
Thus it is both important and exciting, in equal measure, that this superb artistic project, now in its 5th year, will once again take centre stage for just a few days in September, but with the power to provide inspiration for many years to come. The theme this time is Vibrant Matter and when it was first presented to me as a concept, I was immediately taken by the wonderful art produced by OG Magdalena Vial which appears on the front cover of our publication this year. That the project also encapsulates the natural beauty of our environment, also seems entirely appropriate, as we all confront the challenge of climate change and the precarious nature of the world around us.
Mr Nicholas A T Eatough
Headmaster
The Grange School
The Arts at The Grange School work in collaboration to motivate and inspire pupils with the artistic process and its different expressions. This enables pupils to observe and perceive their environment with aesthetic sensibility and creativity, allowing them to develop their talents and to interweave the Arts with traditions, cultural heritage, identity and sense of belonging within The Grange Community and the society.
Art insists on us opening up towards poetic proposals. More than static tales, it invites us to return the gaze over the unnoticed everyday life. To see and to feel. To avert your gaze and imagine. To stop and feel time, the process required by a work of art. To signify the observation of our surroundings in order to create fragments that allow us to glimpse unique stories.
Valentina Gajardo
The GRAF Director
The Arts at The Grange School (Music, Art & Drama) encourages pupils to express themselves from an artistic point of view, valuing the creative process, the individual and collaborative work and the use of skills and technique.
Music, Art & Drama Departments motivates pupils to perceive, observe, reflect and make connections using creativity.
Senses and feelings are also relevant aspects for their pupil’s well being and the artistic process, which stimulates their self-confidence and value pupils culture, environment, history and daily life.
Art as a way of inspiring pupils to observe their environment and perceive daily life as possible shapes and associations that will be transformed into creative, individual and collaborative ideas.
The objective in Art at The Grange School is to allow pupils to experiment the creative process through observation and design of images with a centre of interest or focus.
Ideas that can connect a conceptual and expressive point of view.
With an eye towards maximising our pupils’ talents, The Grange School music departments promote artistic endeavours in every possible area.
The “art of sounds” invites us to reflect on the world around us, which transcends music itself, so that all pupils can trust in their own creativity, and contribute to humanity with a collaborative spirit.
Individual study as well as ensemble work provide valuable outlets for the expression and enjoyment that making music brings.
Musical excellence is also important in our school because in it we recognise an unparalleled key to unlock the potential of the human brain.
Our objective as Senior Drama at The Grange School is to provide performing arts tools that can contribute to the student’s individual and social development, providing them with skills that can go beyond theater and acting, such as teamwork, expression, communication and creativity (among many others), and that are installed as transversal axes in the holistic development of students.
The Grange School is a coeducational school for pupils aged 4 to 18 in Santiago, Chile.
