School students from around northern NSW entered the UNE Schools Art Prize (UNESAP) – and the 66 finalist artworks will be displayed at the New England Regional Art Museum in the 2018 Let’s Hang It! exhibition.
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Students, parents, teachers, and art enthusiasts will attend the opening awards ceremony at 6pm on Friday, July 27 celebrating the diverse artistic talents of the region.
“Let’s Hang It! Is one of the most anticipated and lively events in NERAM’s annual calendar,” NERAM director Rachael Parsons said.
“It is a wonderful opportunity to provide recognition and exposure for emerging talent, and it is always thrilling to see the Museum filled with young artists and their families. There is so much enthusiasm and energy!”
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This year is the fourteenth UNESAP competition. It was established by the UNE Faculty of Professions (now the UNE Faculty of Education) in 2004 to promote interest in the visual arts amongst primary and secondary school teachers, and encourage talented young artists around regional NSW.
The program, Ms Parsons believes, highlights the importance of arts education for young people.
“Arts education inspires future artists, and teaches students to be creative, imaginative, and critical problem solvers.”
Schools around regional NSW were invited to submit artworks on behalf of their students. This year, there were 528 artworks from 64 schools across the region, including Armidale, Glen Innes, Tamworth, Tenterfield, Uralla, and Walcha.
“It was wonderful to see entries this year from schools that had not participated in recent years, or ever before,” Ms Parsons said. “It shows that UNESAP is a vital program in the region, and that its reach and impact are growing.”
A panel of curators and educators selected the finalist works. Tess Cullen, President of the New England Art Society, chose the winners in each category, which will be announced at the opening night event.
The four First Prize winning artworks will become a part of the UNE art collection, and will be displayed at the Armidale campus.
The UNESAP exhibition will be on display at New England Regional Art Museum from 27 July until 12 August 2018.
UNESAP has been developed through an on-going partnership between NERAM and the University of New England, and is sponsored by S&S Art Supplies.