Explore, Express, Exhibit: The 7 Hour Art Road Trip

Term: 1 Year: 2020

To say my students were just a little bit chuffed with the news that their work was being exhibited in the Zart Education Student Gallery would be a complete understatement.

For some, it was not only the first time their art work had been displayed outside of the school foyer, it was one of the few times they had ever travelled to the city!

Watching them arrive at the gallery to see their art up on display and being viewed by so many people was such an exciting experience for these country kids. You could see the pride beaming from their faces as they overheard people in the crowd saying how much they loved the art work. You could also see the shock on people’s faces when they heard we had spent seven hours in a bus to attend this very special event.

It was a huge effort to get them down there, but I was so proud of them and I knew what they would gain from this opportunity to engage in this creative community. As I see it, it is my job not only educate them about art, but also on the importance of experiencing life outside of our tiny rural town (Myrtleford). This was a great opportunity to broaden their horizons, and I was thrilled my students were being shown that their creative efforts are valued and appreciated by others.

As the students spoke to the room about the processes they took to create their art, they were beginning to see that art could have a real purpose outside of a school context – a greater function than going up on the fridge for a week or two. I watched as they became inspired by listening to other students talk about their work and saw lots of new ideas in the Student Gallery.
For us it was such an important experience. It showed our kids that they are important and that their creativity is valued by others. It has also built confidence in them as young artists. So, I’m happy to report that the seven hours on the bus was well worth it and I am very grateful to the amazing and very professional team at Zart for providing us with this opportunity. Thank you.

Kit Cartwright
Primary Art Teacher
Myrtleford P-12 College