27 Mar 2026
Beyond the Classroom: Loreto Toorak Students Success in the Arts
Across Prep to Year 12, Loreto Toorak is home to a thriving Arts program. We are delighted to celebrate the achievements of students whose work has recently been recognised well beyond the walls of our School.
Artistic Achievements in the NGV Top Arts program
The highly prestigious Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)Top Arts Exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria returns for its thirty-second year. With over 1,100 applicants, this showcase celebrates the skills, enthusiasm and creativity of students who have excelled in the VCE subjects of Art Making and Exhibiting, and Art Creative Practice.
This year, we are thrilled for our five students who have been nominated: Madeleine Baré (2025), Siena Mapley (2025), Mabel Fowler (2025), and Maggie Betts (2025), were all short listed for Art Making and Exhibiting, and Shiya Tang (2025) for Art Creative Practice.
A special congratulations to Mabel Fowler and Shiya Tang for having their artwork selected for inclusion in the exhibition.
Mabel conducted an interview diving into the depths of her artwork and her personal connection with the subject matter; you can hear directly from her on the NGV website here.
NGV Top Arts 2026 is now open at the Ian Potter Centre in Federation Square and runs until 19 July 2026.
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Unique series
2025
inkjet print
Loreto Mandeville Hall Toorak, Toorak
Wurundjeri Country
© Mabel Fowler
This series is a tribute to the quiet strength, resilience and individuality of people living with the rare autoimmune disease scleroderma. In three intimate portraits, Mabel Fowler highlights the distinct ways the condition affects each person and the courage and grace with which they navigate it. For Fowler, these images portray the uniqueness of lived experience and the dignity found in embracing visible and invisible differences.
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Reflection in practice
2025
oil on canvas
Loreto Mandeville Hall Toorak, Toorak
Wurundjeri Country
© Shiya Tang
Through close observation of her subject and carefully layered brushwork, Shiya Tang’s Reflection in practice invites viewers to reconsider the familiar, bringing attention to overlooked objects and materials and revealing their subtle beauty.
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Capturing the future of Australian photography
Celebrating its eighteenth year, TOPshots is an annual exhibition hosted by the Museum of Australian Photography. The program showcases exceptional photo-media work from Victorian students who have excelled in the VCE subjects of Art Making and Exhibiting, and Art Creative Practice and Media.
In fantastic news, two Loreto Toorak students have been selected for the 2026 TOPshots exhibition. Congratulations to Mabel Fowler (2025), and Madeleine Baré (2025) on this outstanding recognition of their talent, hard work, and dedication. The TOPshots 2026 exhibition is open now at the Museum of Australian Photography in Wheelers Hill until 4 May 2026, or view the online gallery here.
With thousands of submissions, being chosen is a remarkable achievement for our emerging artists. This achievement reflects the strength of the Loreto Toorak Visual Arts curriculum, which fosters creativity, technical skill, and a deep appreciation for contemporary artistic practice.
Madeline's statement: This work was taken at Port Douglas in Far North Queensland. It captures a glimpse of a place that no other person could witness, where the ordinary becomes exotic and the known becomes unknown. By bending what is real into what could be, the image invites viewers to step beyond recognition and into imagination. It asks us to see the world not only as it is, but as it might exist in another state. 'Inventing reality' is not about escaping the world, but about re-seeing it and discovering the magic in its folds, edges, and limitless horizons. |
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Mabel's statement: My artwork is a tribute to the quiet resilience and individuality of those living with the rare disease, scleroderma. Through three intimate portraits of young people with scleroderma, I explored the theme of uniqueness, not only in how this disease affects individuals differently, but also in how those affected can embrace their differences and continue to live with courage. The branches in the background symbolise how scars from the disease naturally form and spread, diverging like tree limbs yet all stemming from a common root, the diagnosis. Their presence reflects our shared connection and individual journeys through adaptation and growth.
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