Cooktown State School artist Violet Snider showcases her sketching skills at the 2024 ARTLOUNGE exhibition. Photo: Supplied.
Whether a painter, photographer or anything in between, Cooktown student artists will see their works displayed on a gallery wall when ARTLOUNGE25 opens on 14 November.
Over the year, Cooktown State School’s (CSS) visual arts students have worked on pieces to showcase them for the community at the Elizabeth Guzsely Gallery.
CSS secondary visual arts teacher Jen Hall said the annual exhibition started at the school in 2013, but moved to the local gallery five years ago.
“Since exhibiting in the central space the Elizabeth Guzsely Gallery provides, we have received overwhelming feedback from the community,” she said.
“The space is accessible and central to the community and to visitors, which has widened our audience; for young students to have their works viewed by such a wide audience is extraordinary.
“The feedback they have received as a result can be life changing for some of these young artists. The gallery provides a professional space that allows their work to be seen at an industry level.”
Mrs Hall said secondary visual arts students were generally showcased, but when there had been space, primary students’ works were also incorporated in the curation.
“Works are extremely varied and cover genres such as portraiture, landscape and photography, as well as more conceptual works that address senior art curriculum standards,” she said.
“Junior secondary works are generally produced in a 10-week turnaround. Works from senior students can often take three to six months in the making, particularly the highly conceptual works.
“The whole Cooktown community is welcome to attend the opening night at 6 pm [on 14 November]. After this date, the exhibition will be open to the public for two weeks.”
