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Young talent time
Friday 4 July, 2008 8:00am
CELEBRATE the art of healing and check out the talent of western Sydney school students by checking out Operation Art at Penrith Regional Gallery.
The annual showcase of student artwork will be opened tomorrow by The Children's Hospital at Westmead CEO Dr Antonio Penna and gallery manager Anne Loxley, helped by hospital mascot Bandaged Bear and the NSW Public Schools Junior Singers.
This year Operation Art includes work by 678 young NSW artists, who created the works knowing they would be seen by sick children and their families in hospital.
The artworks range from the delightfully innocent paintings of kindergarten children to the sophisticated and skilful images of high school students.
The media used include drawing and painting to collage, photography, printmaking, computer graphics and textiles.
Operation Art is an initiative of The Children's Hospital and the NSW Education and Training Department. The Nelson Meers Foundation supports its regional tour.
A registered art gallery in its own right, the hospital has a large collection of paintings, sculpture, photographs and other artworks.
A panel of judges, including Art Gallery of NSW public and education programs head Brian Ladd will select 50 artworks for the final collection to be shown at the art gallery from September 25 before touring regional galleries in 2009.
The works will then return to The Children's Hospital as part of the permanent collection.
The 50 student finalists and award winners will be announced at the opening tomorrow.
More than 1200 students and teachers will attend workshops at the gallery between July 21 and August 13.
Operation Art will be displayed at Penrith Regional Gallery, 86 River Rd, Emu Plains, until August 17.
