Over 1,900 primary school students in Perth’s eastern region have created their own unique artwork exploring local biodiversity as part of Mundaring Arts Centre Inc.’s 21st annual Environmental Art Project.
The students from 22 schools as well as a number of home-school students, each responded to the theme of Backyard Biodiversity, which challenged them to look closely at nature, discover the animals and plants that live in their local area, and how to promote their survival. With their new knowledge, the students each created an artwork on A4 paper in a range of mediums including coloured pencil, watercolour, and collage.
Judges from the local community had the difficult task of narrowing down the thousands of entries into just handful of artworks that have been transformed into exciting public displays. They also highly commended a number of additional artworks, for the students’ artistic talents or unique ideas.
A walking trail has been created from 10 artworks from students in the City of Swan. The trail, which leads from Midland Junction Arts Centre to Weeip Park, will activate Midland’s footpaths whilst highlighting features of the local landscape and biodiversity. A ceremony was held on Wednesday 30 November to launch the trail that will remain on display for 6 months thanks to support from the City of Swan.
The City of Swan Mayor David Lucas who presented awards at the ceremony said “At the City of Swan, we are committed to delivering sustainable services and programs in partnership with our schools and communities” “We’re proud to support Mundaring Arts Centre Inc.’s Environmental Art Project, their broader community arts program, and their management of Midland Junction Arts Centre.”
A further 16 entries from students in the Shire of Mundaring have been printed onto large scale banners with support from the Shire and will hang in the rose gardens outside Mundaring Village Shopping Centre until late 2023. The banners will be unveiled this week on Thursday 8 December.
Shire of Mundaring Deputy President, Councillor Paige McNeil who will present the awards on Thursday congratulates the students “Through your art, you have promoted a positive message to the community about the importance of nurturing and protecting our local biodiverse environment.” “The Shire is proud to support this project. A special thanks to the schools and teachers that have supported this competition for another year.”
The original artworks from these 26 selected entries are on display at either Mundaring or Midland Junction Arts Centre depending on which local government they are a part of until Sunday 11 December. They can also be viewed alongside the highly commended entries, and all of the nearly 2,000 artworks received this year, in an online exhibition at enviroartproject.com.au.
Visitors to the website over the last month have voted for their favourite in the People’s Choice Award which will also be awarded on Thursday afternoon. The website, which was built this year with support from the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries is also home to a series of video tutorials and other education materials. It will serve as an ongoing online resource for teachers and archive of the region’s young people’s artistic talents and passion for environmental protection.
The annual Environmental Art Project will continue next year with the theme of Helping Hands, celebrating the important role of volunteers and community in land care and environmental conservation.
For media and project enquiries please contact Jess Boyce, Education Program Manager edpm@mundaringartscentre.com.au