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Awards to inspire Creative Generation artists
Prestigious awards that could help launch promising artistic careers will be presented to Year 12 students at a special exhibition opening at the University of the Sunshine Coast Gallery tomorrow evening (Thursday 26 August).
Almost 40 talented visual art and design students from 21 high schools will have works on display at the Sunshine Coast Regional exhibition of the Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art and Design.
The students are vying for the Regional Excellence Award, to be presented by USC academic Dr Al Grenfell, and an Encouragement Award provided by design company S&S Creativity Unlimited.
Five of the students also will be announced as shortlisted artists for a State-wide touring exhibition that will have its first showing at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane.
USC Gallery Acting Curator Yenda Carson said there was something for everyone in this exhibition with works in film, painting, ceramics, mixed media, printmaking, sculpture, photography, performance and drawing.
“The artworks explore a variety of themes including self-identity, spirituality, feminine concepts, personal discovery, and relationships with place and the environment,” she said.
“Students have used a range of models and metaphors to explore these themes, with references to art history subjects, archaeology, religion, popular culture and urban myths.
“They have cleverly manipulated found objects into new visual forms. They have created artworks from new materials and transformed traditional artforms into contemporary arrangements of ideas.”
The Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art and Design program has been conducted annually since 1990 to help raise community awareness about the degree of sophistication in concepts, diversity of technical competence, and the high standard of arts education in Queensland secondary schools.
The exhibition is presented in association with the Queensland Department of Education and Training and will remain on display at the USC Gallery until 16 September.
— Terry Walsh