The toughest selection process to date has taken place to decide the 73 finalist artworks by school students from around northern NSW that will be displayed at the New England Regional Art Museum in the 2019 Let's hang It! exhibition.
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Despite strong competition from across the state, 30 students attending schools in the Armidale Regional Council electorate will feature in the show. One of those is Black Mountain Public School infants student Lakia Cutmore whose pencil and watercolour work 'Ally' is included.
Schools around regional NSW were invited to submit artworks on behalf of their students into the UNE Schools Art Prize (UNESAP) and this year there were 576 artworks from 41 schools across the region that participated in the program.
A selection panel of curators and educators took on the difficult task of selecting the finalist works and the winners in each category will be chosen by Walcha artist Myf Gullifer and announced at the opening night event on August 2.
"Let's Hang It! is one of the most highly anticipated and lively events in NERAMs calendar," said art museum director Rachael Parsons.
There is so much enthusiasm and energy
- Rachael Parsons
"It's a great 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."
Ms Parsons said it was wonderful to see entries this year from schools that had not participated in recent years or ever before.
"It shows that UNESAP is a vital program in the region and that its reach and impact is growing," she said.
"It is also an important event to highlight the vital role that arts education plays in not only inspiring future artists,but in engaging and motivating students to succeed in a wide range of study areas by teaching students to be creative, imaginative and critical problem solvers.
"UNESAP acknowledges how important arts education is and provides a program that will encourage students to be creative and get involved."
This year is the fifteenth UNESAP competition which was originally 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 annual exhibition at NERAM has become a major event in the calendar of participating schools which this year includes entries from students in Armidale, Ashford, Black Mountain, Bingara, Bundarra, Coffs Harbour, Coraki, Dorrigo, Grafton, Hernani, Inverell, Kempsey, Kentucky, Kingstown, Lawrence, Niangala, Nowendoc, Port Macquarie, Red Range, Scone, Tamworth, Tenterfield, Timbumburi, Uralla and Walcha.
Ms Parsons said UNESAP had been developed through an on-going partnership with the University of New England and the four First Prize-winning artworks will become a part of the UNE art collection and be displayed around the university campus in Armidale.
The UNESAP exhibition will be on display at New England Regional Art Museum from 2 - 18 August 2019.
