Media releases

One of the highlights of Open Day at Federation University Australia’s Gippsland Campus was the announcement of the winners of the Refresh Art Prize for 2017.

This award with a total prize pool of $5,000 is sponsored by the university’s Gippsland Centre for Art and Design (GCAD).

This year’s $2,000 first prize winner is Sally Jensen from Kooweerup Secondary College.

Sally’s image was a large-scale digital print on paper titled Monozygotic. Sally’s school will also receive $1,000. Second prize of $1,000 went to Khaliyann Schembri of Kurnai College. Her untitled work was composed of ink on wood with epoxy resin, with the school receiving $500.

This year’s entrants are VCE students from across Gippsland; from Bairnsdale to Koo Wee Rup. The final 19 selected entries are displayed in the University’s Switchback Gallery at Churchill until the end of September.

The $500 encouragement prize was awarded to Kyra Murray of Kooweerup Secondary College for Ocular, a work of acrylic paint and screen print on acetate.

The awards were presented by Dr Elisabeth Edmondson, Head of the School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Clive Hutchison, a Visual and Creative Arts lecturer at GCAD, said: “I was impressed with the standard of entries and would like to congratulate all students and teachers involved.

“The Refresh Art Prize is one of the many initiatives by GCAD to encourage and support the study of the visual and creative arts in Gippsland.”

As expected, a high standard of entries was once again received. The diverse range of works submitted included abstracts, landscapes and portraits in photographic, painting and drawing mediums. Such an eclectic and high-quality group of images made judging challenging but the choice of winners was unanimous.

All students who took part now have a valuable addition to their resumes and a strengthened portfolio.