Creative Generation
Story: Jocelyn Watts, Photo: Jocelyn Watts
Excitement is building among art students and teachers as the 2021 Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art North Coast regional exhibition draws near.
“Having works accepted is an achievement for any senior art student,” regional co-coordinator Cassie O’Brien said. “Receiving an encouragement or commendation award is big. And, for the excellence recipients to have their winning entries displayed in the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane is huge!”
Among our students to have work exhibited regionally in 2020 was Kaitlin Edmondstone, from Fraser Coast Anglican College. Her works included two digital photo compilations titled Enablers.
“I created these images when I was doing an assignment looking at the misogyny that’s built into our society through architecture,” Kaitlin said.
“I looked at how buildings and shapes appear masculine, with lots of straight lines and rigid structures. Then I looked for architecture with curves as being more feminine.”
Ms O’Brien said the competition recognised excellence in senior visual art education.
“It’s a way for state and non-state high schools to celebrate high achievers in the visual arts. It’s also a powerful way to see works from artists in areas where they wouldn’t always have a voice.”
Since 1990, the program has helped raise awareness of sophistication in concepts, diversity of technical competence, and the high standard of visual art education in Queensland secondary schools.
Each education region hosts a Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art regional exhibition to showcase submitted artworks within that region.
Awarded students are announced at this event. The pinnacle of the program sees excellence award winners’ works exhibited at GOMA the following year.
The Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art Central exhibition, showcasing the 2020 excellence recipients, were held at GOMA until Sunday 8 August 2021.
The 2021 North Coast Regional Exhibition will open at Gatakers Artspace on Friday 8 October at 6pm and run until 2pm, Sunday 21 November.
