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The hard work and creativity of the headspace Esperance Open Studio Art Group was recently celebrated at the Djilba Wildflower Festival Art Competition when their stunning artwork received two awards.
Djilba Wildflower Festival is a long-running annual community event that celebrates the region’s flora and cultural heritage. The Art Exhibition and Competition is a significant part of the festival.
Coordinated by Esperance Tjaltraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation for the second year, the overarching theme of this year’s festival was Flora of the Wetlands.
Young people from headspace Esperance’s Open Studio Art Group created a stunning artwork titled Fragments to Flora and were incredibly proud to have not only won second prize in the Mina Crisp Award (for artists aged 12 to 17 years), but to also be named one of the People’s Choice Award winners.
Finding the fragments
In the lead up to the festival, the art group was joined by local botanist Jess, who shared her knowledge of the environmental systems around Kepa Kurl (Esperance) and the factors that put the surrounding wetlands at risk.
Her knowledge helped the young people work out the design of the artwork and how they would meet the judging guidelines around use of sustainable and recycled materials.
The young people collected egg cartons, recycled cereal boxes and supermarket bags while headspace Esperance Manager Sally Cutler collected beach plastics from the shores of nearby Ten Mile Lagoon.
Together with the recycled materials, the so-called trash was transformed into treasure and became a feature of the final piece Fragments to Flora.
The piece conveyed the art groups message, which was their way of reimagining what harms wetlands into something that celebrates them.
The group went on an excursion to see the artwork displayed in the exhibition alongside the other wonderful entries and displays.
When they found out they had won an award, they danced with joy and then quickly began to think about which new art supplies they would purchase for their next project with the $100 voucher and $125 prize money.
A space of their own
The headspace Esperance Open Studio Art Group consists of 12 students aged 13 to 17 years and provides its young members with a space to meet other art lovers and explore art as a form of self-expression.
It is one of headspace Esperance’s social groups that fosters connection with peers and offers a place to go after school to relax and have fun.
Each term the art group focuses on a new project.
headspace Esperance Mental Health Clinician Ella Graham has co-led the art group for many years. When it came to the latest project, Ella planned and facilitated sessions to ensure everyone’s contributions were valued and guided the group to make sure they met the competition guidelines.
Social groups like the art group are a key part of the Esperance headspace service, says Sally.
“Our social groups are an important part of our service, allowing young people to become familiar with what we offer, meet our staff and feel comfortable accessing support if they ever need it.”
Hope Community Services operates headspace Esperance, offering young people aged 12 to 25 years with free support around mental health, work and study, alcohol and other drug support, and physical and sexual health.
