Exhibition showcasing the power of friendship

Media release issued Friday 26 November 2021

A new exhibition will open this weekend at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, featuring works by Northern Tasmanian pupils from kindergarten through to grade six.

ArtStart is a popular annual program designed to encourage the participation of primary school pupils in visual art and design.

Each year ArtStart celebrates new topics to inspire creations, with the 2021/22 exhibition exploring the theme, "With a little help from my friends".

City of Launceston Deputy Mayor Danny Gibson said the exhibition is a vibrant display of young creative talent from across Northern Tasmania.

"ArtStart is a great program for budding primary school artists across Northern Tasmania and I encourage our community to explore the creations on display as part of this temporary exhibition," Deputy Mayor Gibson said.

"It's great to see so many pupils exploring different creative mediums and learning about visual art and design with QVMAG."

"It is inspiring for young students to have their work on display at the QVMAG and this annual offering further celebrates the diversity of our programming and our connection with community."

General Manager of Creative Arts and Culture Shane Fitzgerald said ArtStart is a valuable program for school children to learn about art and creative practices from a young age.

"As part of this year's ArtStart program, we have received more than 150 entries from across nine schools which is a fantastic outcome," Mr Fitzgerald said.

"To curate this year's program, we welcomed a team of primary school curators to choose 60 works to be featured within the temporary exhibition"

"Each work chosen offers a unique take on the theme for this year's program as pupils have explored what friendship means to them".

ArtStart is open to the public from Sunday 28 November at the Art Gallery at Royal Park (2 Wellington Street, Launceston).

The exhibition will be on display until June 2022.