We recently had some wonderful collaborative art experiences with our students.
First of all we were invited to run two art workshops at a local private school, guiding two separate years to create a large group work each for the schools fundraiser art auction.
The second experience was more recently with Art Box Workshops after school and weekend art classes. Students worked collaboratively on an artwork based on the Theme of ‘Threatened Species of Australia’.
Each of our four classes, during the two week project, worked as a team to select and research one particular threatened species. The completed works created have been submitted into ’Forest Media’s – Threatened Species Children’s Art Competition’
The content was different, but the children’s approach to the projects and the resolutions had a lot of similarities.
The vibe in our studio was very different when the students started to work collaboratively to create a single artwork. The student’s brainstormed ideas on how to create a project from beginning to end. There was a lot of enthusiasm in working together. I found the group dynamics most interesting, with self-emerging leaders discussing and guiding the group on how to create the collaborative artwork.
It was wonderful to see the group collaborate to allocate tasks and then pull it all together to create the final piece.
In the last few weeks Art Box Workshops and its eager students have learnt to collaborate to help fundraiser for their school and also brought attention to the ever increasing plight of Australian endangered species.
We are very proud to announce that 3 out of our 4 group work submissions have been selected as finalists.
The Threatened species art competition had 1400 entries with 1600 children participating in group and individual works, 68 schools and 14 children’s programs got involved, as well as hundreds of individual children through their families.
The small percentage of finalists (around 5%) will have their work hung at the Surry Hills Library or the Botanical gardens. The Finalist list can be viewed here http://www.threatenedspeciesartcomp.net.au/finalists-2017.html
Basia and I would like to personally congratulate all our students for an amazing result.
