ARTEXPRESS 2010 CURATORIAL STATEMENT
 

ARTEXPRESS 2010 was on display in the Gallery 15 May - 1 August 2010.

ARTEXPRESS is one of the most anticipated exhibitions to appear annually in the Newcastle Region Art Gallery calendar. It presents exemplary bodies of work created by students for the Higher School Certificate examination in Visual Arts. The works represent a broad range of subject matter, approaches, styles and media including painting, ceramics, photomedia, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, graphic design, documented forms, textiles and fibre, ceramics, time-based forms and collections of works.

ARTEXPRESS was first shown in Newcastle 1982, supported by BHP and exhibited in the supper room at City Hall, the same year its was first shown at the Art Gallery of NSW. From 1992 on, the exhibition has been shown annually at the Newcastle Region Art Gallery, the only regional touring venue to do so.

In 2010, for the first time, ARTEXPRESS was selected and curated by the Gallery. When considering the final exhibition, close attention was paid to bodies of work from the Newcastle region, in all fourteen local students are represented. Works were chosen that relate to the Gallery’s important and significant collection and that are also outstanding examples of art making across a diverse range of expressive forms.

The exhibition continues to be a positive reflection of young people's concerns and their creative voice, as well as exemplifying visual arts education in this state. Each year the diverse group of artists represented in the exhibition present vibrant and unexpected expressions, offering us surprising insights into their world.

It is also a nexus between visual arts education and professional art world. ARTEXPRESS bridges the gap between classroom activities and public presentation - between students’ developing art practice and that of professionals. This experience is inspiring and motivational, a pathway leading to lifelong connections with this Gallery and the visual arts world beyond.  

ARTEXPRESS is a much admired outcome of a sustained and deep experience in visual arts for students as well as a confirmation of the talent and professionalism of visual arts teachers.

ARTEXPRESS is presented in association with NSW Department of Education and Training and the Office of the Board of Studies NSW.

Download the ARTEXPRESS 2010 Education Kit (6.3mb PDF)
Investigate the works of art and their Conversations with the Collection
Check out the Behind the Scenes photos

LINKS

New South Wales Department of Education and Training
ARTEXPRESS Board of Studies NSW 
Inside ARTEXPRESS at AGNSW