Year 12 student Millie competes for ARTiculation Prize 2022

Earlier this week, Year 12 student Millie competed in the Regional Heat of the Roche Court Educational Trust's ARTiculation Prize, held at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London.

An annual public-speaking competition for students aged 16 to 19, the ARTiculation Prize encourages young people to communicate confidently and to express their ideas and opinions on art.

The day began with a wonderful private tour of the gallery. Millie then gave a presentation on Masaccio's Early Renaissance fresco 'Expulsion from the Garden of Eden', alongside representatives from six other schools. The competition was adjudicated by Kavita Puri, an award-winning BBC journalist, radio broadcaster and author.

Although we didn't go through to the next heat, Kavita praised Millie for her confident and philosophical approach to Masaccio’s work, and especially the exploration of details such as the oxidation process on the cherub's sword and how this had altered the fresco's appearance.

Mrs Huntsman, who accompanied Millie on the trip, said that Millie's presentation was "as academic as it was engaging", and that Millie enjoyed high praise from many members of the audience, including two competing schools.

As an aspiring medic, Millie was grateful for this opportunity to express a personal interest in art and philosophy that may otherwise have gone unchallenged. She is now eligible to join the ARTiculation Alumni Network, which will afford her many more exciting opportunities in the future. 

The below photograph shows Millie (third from the right) alongside Kavita Puri and the other competitors in the Regional Heat of the ARTiculation Prize.