REGIONAL schools are embracing artistic expression as a mainstream learning tool for their students.
Cross-platform learning gives students an alternate way to express themselves and Sandon Public School kindergarten teacher Michele Thomas said it was particularly beneficial for the younger students.
“Young children often don’t have the language to express their feelings,” she said.
“If we read a book or a text and they then go and paint or draw about it, it’s like an extension of their ideas. “Visual arts gives them the chance to do that.”
Sandon employs a specialist creative arts teacher and some of the students now have their work hanging in the University of New England's School Acquisitive Art Prize show Let’s Hang it! at the New England Regional Art Museum.
Year 6 student Emily Palfreyman was a finalist in the competition and said the idea for her work came to her on a school field trip.
“I love art and i love native flowers,” she said.
“So I created a print of one of the flowers I found on a school trip.
“I copied the flower onto a piece of paper, then pressed the paper onto foam.
“Then I put ink onto the foam to make the print.”
Kindergarten student Luke McLeod also has a work hanging in NERAM.
“The piece of art Luke did was a result of two stimulus,” Ms Thomas said.
“One was from a book we read in class called Rumble in the Jungle, and the second was a YouTube clip of a song called Animal Boogie.
Luke and Emily both attended to the exhibition’s opening on Friday night and their works will be displayed until August 14.
This year there were almost 650 individual entries from almost 50 schools across regional New South Wales.
NERAM director Robert Heather said it was fantastic so many children from schools throughout the region were using art to express themselves.
“There have been a number of studies which have shown the ongoing benefits to school students of being involved in creative pursuits like visual arts,” he said.
