It is not every day that young artists have a chance to have their masterpieces considered for display in a national gallery. But that is exactly what Haileybury students have experienced in the School’s very first Young Archie competition.
The portrait competition gave students a platform to develop, display and enjoy art while deepening connections with those they featured. The winning art pieces were entered into the national Young Archie portrait competition run by the Art Gallery of NSW, with Panya, Year 9 achieving an Honourable mention in the 13-15 year old section.
“The Arts open up so many opportunities for creativity, wellbeing and connection. While our art curriculum, VCE pathways and Art Societies give students many ways to get involved, we also want to keep offering new chances for students to discover and celebrate their artistic interests and talents,” says Rachelle Rae, Head of Visual Arts.
The School community embraced the opportunity, with entries from students across Haileybury Melbourne and Haileybury Rendall School in Darwin.
Many of the students chose to create artworks of special people in their lives.
“I chose my dad in the portrait because he is always encouraging and complementing me,” said Aaron, Year 6.
While for Kira, Year 9, her subject was a family friend called Lauren. “As a nurse, a community volunteer and a mother, she is constantly supporting others with her kind and generous nature. I felt she truly deserved to be recognised through this painting,” she said.
Mya, Year 12, chose to “create a picture of my mum because she is one of the most important people in my life.” She says the competition was an opportunity to keep developing her portraiture and oil painting skills, which have been a focus of her VCE art studies.
Haileybury will continue to hold our own Young Archie competition every year, giving students the chance to enter multiple times over their time at the School and in doing so develop their artistic skills and explore creative interests.
“We are looking forward to seeing even more students creating and sharing their art in the future and our community enjoying their wonderful artworks,” said Scott Doran, Vice Principal.
“This experience really benefitted me and built my painting skills, and I think people should enter next year. It’s a great opportunity. People shouldn’t doubt their abilities, and give it a go,” says Mya.
Aaron agrees. He said participating in the competition was fun and recommended it as a chance “to be creative.”
Kira advises future entrants to allocate plenty of time to their portrait creation and have a flexible mindset so they can cope with any unexpected challenges.
The art entries were shared with the School community at a special exhibition celebrating all student works along with student statements about their art. “The sequence of the exhibition was intentionally designed to tell a visual story. There was a large number of entries for this competition, so we had to ensure there was a flow within the gallery that enabled all works to be displayed with adequate lighting and spacing,” explained Lucy Hunter, Art Technician.
What is the Archibald Prize?
The Archibald Prize, run by the Art Gallery of NSW on behalf of a bequest from JF Archibald, is Australia’s most prestigious annual portrait award.
What is the Young Archie competition?
The Young Archie is a portrait competition for young people. The finalist’s art is displayed at the Art Gallery of NSW in conjunction with the Archibald exhibition.
Congratulations to our portrait prize winners
Age 5-8 Years section
Poppy, Year 3
Chenul, Year 2
Age 9-12 Years section
Amelia, Year 6
Luca, Year 7
Aaron, Year 6
Age 13-15 Years section
Panya, Year 9
Lillian, Year 11
Kira, Year 9
Age 16–18 Years section
Mya, Year 12
Emily, Year 11
