AGRA Student Exhibition

I didn’t realise how much work was involved in running an exhibition.

I wanted to give secondary students the opportunity to present their school work to a wider audience. The search started with a discussion with Marian Strong of Art Education Victoria, the professional group of art teachers in the state. Invitations were sent out to students via the teachers.

While the number of entries was not as large as may have been hoped, the quality of the work that was submitted was of a very high standard. The works were hung with sensitivity and the exhibition looked great. We were fortunate to have some very inventive sculpture as well as an interesting variety of paintings.

The official opening was on the 8th of February; the day after the big fires just north east of Melbourne. We didn’t know at the time how bad it was.

It was a very exciting day for the exhibitors and their families and friends. The gallery was packed and the buzz was palpable. Each of the exhibiting students was presented with a certificate and a membership of AGRA. The memberships were made possible by the very welcome sponsorship by the Camberwell Branch of the Bendigo Bank whose representative Adrienne Kerin made the presentations accompanied by colleagues Meagan Edwards and Niki Pappas. President Rob LaNauze said a few words of artistic encouragement before opening the exhibition.

Instead of the usual specialist judge, we opted to let the viewing public vote for their favourite works. Larelle Coughlan’s ‘The Facets of the Four Seasons’ was a fine winner. Kimberley Munro’s ‘Papercut’ was second, and the third prize was shared by Emily Keppel’s ‘Alice’ and Emily Steele’s ‘Childhood’. A Highly Commended award was made to Tessa Hubble whose three self portraits were very popular. The public vote meant that the presentations of these awards could not be made until the end of the exhibition rather than  at the opening. Prizes included art materials and workshop time provided by Terrianne Murray and Regina Hona, a fantastic opportunity for learning. We really appreciate this support from two of our most respected artists.

The Bendigo Bank has agreed to take six of the local entries to hang in the branch until Easter, effectively extending the exhibition and adding to the public image of AGRA and the art on display.

For a first time exhibition... like I said, it was a lot of work, but a great result and immense personal satisfaction. And now the trail is blazed, lessons have been learned and we look forward to another successful exhibition next February.

Thanks go to the AGRA Council for their support, Brenda for constant suggestions and an beautiful hang, Kris for excellent publicity in the local press, Marian for the introduction to the teachers who encouraged their students to enter and everyone who helped in any way. A special thanks to all the families involved.