A Natural Connection - Partnership Project exhibition

25 November- 5 December, 12pm-5pm | Schenberg Room, Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery

A Natural Connection, a socially, culturally and scientifically rich collaboration between Rosalie Primary School, Nulsen Primary School and St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls, UWA Campus Partner, the Graduate School of Education (GSE) and Esperance Community Arts, involving prominent Aboriginal leaders local to the regions, curated by Dr Janice Lally, Academic and Public Curator at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery will result in an exciting exhibition of artworks based on local plants at the gallery in late November.

Students led by teachers Teresa Richards at St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls (39 in Year 4), Lynleigh Glass at Rosalie Primary School (28 in Year 4) in metropolitan Perth studied local plants in workshops with Noongar Elder George Hayden, examined them in classroom led scientific ways, and their botanical documentation in colonial history. Teachers Angela Jeitz, Tania Dornan and Tamara Bonney at Nulsen Primary School supported by Jane Mulcock of Esperance Community Arts, arranged for their students (45 in Years 2-6), to participate in workshops with the Esperance Tjaltjraak Rangers and local botanist Ken Mills, as part of the Act-Belong-Commit Kaddatji Nyungar Boodja Plants & Culture program funded through Esperance Community Arts. Graduate School of Education educator Erin Knight designed and led their printmaking, drawing and painting workshops utilising local native plant materials.

The resultant professionally displayed exhibition brings recognition of the quality of work and diverse and rich learning achievable through multifaceted research leading to production of artworks.

Image: Rosalie Primary School students participate in art workshops led by the UWA Graduate School of Education. Courtesy Rosalie Primary School.