Creative Victoria and the Department of Education and Training are celebrating 40 years of bringing artists to schools across the State.
Marking the milestone, Minister for Creative Industries, Danny Pearson said the Creative Learning Partnerships placed expert theatre makers, musicians, performers, animators and artists in residence at primary and secondary schools.
“Bringing creativity into the classroom has boundless benefits for students, giving them new, skills, confidence and bringing the curriculum to life in new ways,” Mr Pearson said.
“It also provides inspiration and career development for artists.”
He said that in the past the program had included a range of celebrated Australian artists including Hazel Edwards, author of Australian children’s book classic There’s a Hippopotamus On Our Roof Eating Cake, who was an artist in residence through the 1980s and early 1990s.
The Minister said this year’s program would see artists take up residence at schools in Abbotsford, the Surf Coast, Geelong, Broadmeadows, Cairnlea, Coburg, Melton, Niddrie, Dandenong, Phillip Island, Ballarat, Nerrina, East Gippsland, Bendigo, Horsham, Wodonga and Warrnambool.
“Director and producer Ching Ching Ho is participating in this year’s program, working with Grade 3 students from Abbotsford Primary School on a creative bilingual project in Mandarin and English,” Mr Pearson said.
“Other schools are partnering with creatives on projects that explore culture, history, literacy, the environment and more, using creative disciplines including music, storytelling, theatre and costume making, and sculpture.”
He said students at Bellbrae Primary School on the Surf Coast would explore local bushland and fauna through drawing, collage and photography, while students at Coburg Primary School in Melbourne would create artworks and costumes as they learnt about composting.
Mr Pearson said local Wadawurrung artist Billy Jay O’Toole would give Belmont High School students in Geelong an insight into First People’s culture.
