Dog of a year expressed artistically

RACHINGER Gallery is proud to present the first collaborative exhibition by students from Geelong’s four special schools, which opens tomorrow (Friday).

Year of the Dog at Eastern Hub Community Centre explores the theme of our relationship to dogs and their meaning in our lives.

Dog years, in the Chinese Zodiac, are considered progressive, with causes to be championed.

This exhibition champions the work of young artists from the Armstrong Creek, Barwon Valley, Hamlyn Views and Nelson Park schools with varying abilities that are diverse, uninhibited, engaging and profound.

The artists have worked both collaboratively and individually, motivated both by the theme and their widening understanding of engaging in a public exhibition.

The work on show crosses multiple artforms, including mixed media, sculpture, photography, painting, drawing and construction.

For these artists, Year of the Dog is an opportunity to showcase their work as artists, work that reflects their individuality and unique world views without constraint or preconceptions.

Making work for exhibition has provided many opportunities for significant student learning beyond the classroom.

By learning skills and concepts needed to exhibit, students are better able to comprehend the meaning and place of art and themselves in society.

For audiences, Year of the Dog is a not-to-bemissed opportunity to engage with the creativity, talent and artistic imaginations of young people of all abilities and to discover artworks that resonate intellectually and emotionally.

The exhibition officially opens at Eastern Hub, McKillop Street, East Geelong on Friday, June 29 from 6pm and runs until July 13.