All hands on deck for Summer School

School students, University Students and USQ Staff will be laying approximately four football fields of black plastic tomorrow (Saturday 23 December 2006), in preparation for the annual McGregor Summer School.

Ken Shapland is the Operations Coordinator for the popular arts retreat and says it will be all hands on deck from 8am.

'We have acres and acres of black plastic that we use to cover the classrooms and the hallways and even the toilets during the School to protect them from the paint.

'We try to use the same plastic every year and use around 100 rolls of silver tape to fix the plastic to the tables and floors and just about everywhere.

'This year we have four school students coming to help and four uni students – two of them who are doing engineering and another two who are doing stage management,' said Ken.

Sourcing enough easels to meet the demand for the Visual Arts program this year has also been a challenge.

'There was a really high demand for the art classes this year, so we have had to borrow easels from St Ursula's, the Toowoomba Grammar School and Murray's Art Supplies. We also had to have another 22 made, so there is a total of around 220.'

Ken and his team will also be making sure the watercolour artists have access to water, that all rooms have access to fans and modesty screens are erected for the nude models.

Despite the lengthy preparations, Ken is looking forward to the School.

'It's quite exciting. During the School I go around the classes and see if any of the tutors have any requirements and I really enjoy that part of the job.

'One of the Tutors is the best master craftsmen in Australian and he has a slide show of some of the equipment he has made and that is amazing. He has some gear in the Louvre over in France and some of the furniture he makes is worth over a half a million dollars.

'I talk to some of the models who pose nude and I think it is really interesting how different people perceive them. I mean some of the girls are 22 and the artists paint them like they are 62, but the models don't seem to mind.

'And the landscape artists are amazing and some of the techniques they use are really interesting, like using plastic to move paint on the canvas.

It's basically just a really interesting week to be a part of.'

Photo Opportunity: Ken and his team will be setting up in the Concannon Recreation Hall from 8am on Saturday 23 December.

Media Contact: Amy Cass, USQ Media, +61 7 4631 2092
Ken Shapland, Operations Coordinator McGregor Summer School, 0411 118 152