Community & Business
17 June, 2026
Ephemeral expressions of art
THE Chapel Gardens at St Stephen’s Catholic College were recently transformed into a colourful outdoor gallery, with Year 12 Visual Art students showcasing artwork as part of their Ephemeral Art Exhibition.
The ephemeral (something that lasts for a short time) exhibition saw students create artwork out of natural, recycled, and mixed-media materials which would eventually biodegrade into the school garden.
Throughout their unit of study students explored the concepts of ephemeral and site-specific art, investigating how temporary artworks can communicate meaning through place, symbolism, materiality, and experience.
Inspired by environmental artists such as Andy Goldsworthy, students examined the relationship between artwork, audience, and environment, considering how art can exist briefly yet leave a lasting emotional or spiritual impact.
Responding to the theme “Walking With Purpose”, students created installations inspired by the College House Patrons – Saint Stephen, St Augustine of Hippo, and Catherine McAuley – alongside the cultural significance of place and the perspectives of the Muluridji People.
“One of the major goals of the exhibition was to encourage students to move beyond traditional classroom artmaking and develop skills in problem-solving, experimentation, resilience, and symbolic thinking,” art teacher Ms Deanne Morrow said.
“Because ephemeral art is temporary and highly influenced by the environment, students had to constantly adapt their ideas and respond creatively to challenges throughout the process.
“A student who particularly stood out was Keani Ireson, whose artwork The Hanging Tree demonstrated strong conceptual thinking and thoughtful symbolism inspired by Catherine McAuley’s values of compassion, service, and mercy.
“Her installation showed exceptional attention to detail and a strong understanding of how materials, environment, and symbolism can work together to communicate meaning.”
The students will now begin a new unit called “Transform and Extend”, where they will study the artistic styles and visual language of optical illusion, cubism, post-impressionism, impressionism, and surrealism.
