Youth art show for societal change

BALLARAT Youth Services’ latest creative initiative is set to showcase the work of young artists, but first, the organisation is going support them to develop their pieces for presentation.

The Young Creatives on Show program launched this week and is inviting 12 to 25 year olds to take part in a series of three practical art workshops co-facilitated by featured artists in the Art Gallery of Ballarat’s Next Gen exhibition of VCE art and design excellence.

Participants can produce works relating to a topic that the broader group cares about, can learn skills, and experiment with different mediums they may not have worked with before along the way.

The resulting pieces will be presented at the public Unicorn Lane gallery throughout June and July.

Co-facilitator Brodie Kamp said creative skills and knowledge are best shared with others, and that the program will demonstrate how art can be a powerful “vehicle for societal change.”

“People often underestimate the impact art can have over how the world works,” he said.

“Young people are often not listened to in society. One of the main arguments is that they’re young and don’t know what they’re talking about, but the topics of racism, gender equity, queer issues, and the environment will affect young people for the longest time.”

Co-facilitator Izzy Henning said art is an important part of her life, so having the opportunity to share that passion in a meaningful way is exciting.

“The young generation of the 21st century has a lot of weight on their shoulders when it comes to major problems happening in our world. I find art is a way of expressing oneself,” she said.

“The aim of this workshop is to help the young people of Ballarat immerse themselves in different types of art mediums to explore issues around the world and just have fun with creating pieces that they can look back on.”