Wyndham’s young artists

Year ten student Yoah said the program was a captivating experience. (Supplied)

A number of Wyndham students have achieved an exciting goal, having had their works displayed at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Students from Wyndham Central College and Manor Lakes College participated in The Smith Family’s SmArts program, running in partnership with RMIT University and had their art featured at the Learning Studios and RMIT University Media Precinct.

Contouring Identities is a public artwork inspired by The Picasso Century exhibition, and students engaged with a technique called blind contour drawing, an exercise where an artist draws the outline of a subject in one continuous line, without lifting the pencil or looking at their paper.

Applying this technique using Adobe Photoshop students created portraits of each other and

explored ways to represent individual identities through collage.

The Smith Family’s Victorian general manager Anton Leschen said he was delighted the charity could deliver a creative experience to students who might not otherwise have contemplated an artistic career.

“SmArts is based on research that shows taking part in creative activities builds self-confidence,

develops social skills, and allows young people to explore and understand career options before

choosing VCE subjects,” Mr Leschen said.

“Not only does the program help students further refine their promising skills, it encourages them to stay engaged in their education and exposes them to future opportunities which may be suited to their artistic interests and talents.”