Kids go to town on arts project

Children from the Jacaranda Street Community Kindy with artist Lee Fullerton.

Claudia Baxter

CHILDREN love a birthday party and 300 youngsters are making a colourful contribution to Ipswich's 150th celebrations.

Primary Arts Network Ipswich (PANI) co-ordinator Lee Fullarton has worked with students from 16 schools in pre-Prep to Year 10 to stage an exhibition next month titled “150 Views of Ipswich” – a celebration through arts and literature.

“We're absolutely delighted with the response,” Ms Fullarton said.

Themes chosen by the students included the connection to RAAF Base Amberley, the Woodend bat colony and historical architecture

“Goodna children have looked at the jacaranda trees and the Royal Mail Hotel,” Ms Fullarton said.

Forty-four children at Jacaranda Street Community Pre-school and Kindergarten were finishing off two large canvases this week.

Director-teacher Bronwen Cottman said the kids had done a great job.

“When you're only four or five years old, you see Ipswich through yourself,” she said.

“They cut out images of themselves for the collage.

“Because they love Queens Park, they've painted the green of the park and the blue of the sky. Someone put clouds in the sky, and the sun.”

A birthday cake and flowers complete the picture.

The “150 Views of Ipswich” project is a collaboration between PANI and the Ipswich District Teacher-Librarian Network.

Poetry will go on show beside the artwork for two weeks at the Ipswich Community Gallery, d'Arcy Doyle Place, from August 15.

Ipswich City Council provided a small grant towards the project.

One of the city's “150 ambassadors”, Judy Grant, is helping to stage the exhibition.

Mrs Grant also played a part in the Jacaranda Street kindy workshop.