Geelong’s future creatives to shine in exhibition

GEELONG Gallery will celebrate the creative talents of 10 local high school graduates in an exhibition launching this weekend.

The show, titled Future Creatives 2024, aims to spotlight the achievements of young emerging artists living in Geelong and the surrounding region who completed their Victorian Certificate of Education last year.

The exhibition will feature works by Belmont High School’s Amelie Ashely, Bellarine Secondary College’s Sarah Porter and Clonard College’s Maddison Randall.

Sachi Bridgeford, Tiana Balazs and Ruoling Wang from Kardinia International College will also have their work displayed, along with Nyoka Evans from Matthew Flinders’ Girls Secondary College, Heidi Tilson from Northern Bay College and Laura Hobbs and Shiavanni Herd from Sacred Heart College.

For many of the students, the show marks the first time their work has been exhibited.

The students were selected for the exhibition by a panel that included Geelong Gallery’s Elishia Furet, assistant curator Katarina Paseta and guest judge Deakin University’s Dr Merinda Kelly.

“Geelong’s young citizens are our future creatives, artists, designers, innovators and champions of the arts,” Dr Kelly said.

“Future Creatives is a space where Geelong’s art and design students can creatively communicate to broader audiences their unique ideas, meanings and responses to a rapidly changing world.”

The works selected for the exhibition span several mediums and were chosen for the strength of their technique and the artists’ conceptual and perceptual development.

Nyoka Evans of Matthew Flinders’ Girls Secondary College said she was excited to have her work, a short untitled film, included in the show.

“I’m from Ocean Grove and I’m so proud to be part of a local exhibition.

“I really want to be an artist one day.”

Kardinia International College’s Sachi Bridgeford said the exhibition showed the state’s creative industry was committed to supporting young artists and their views and perceptions of the world.

Her piece, “Consequences”, made from handcrafted clay, melted glass and beads, will also feature in the exhibition.

“I am forever grateful to be a part of this movement because it’s given me a platform to raise awareness around coral bleaching and its devastating impact on marine ecosystems,” Sachi said.

Future Creatives 2024 opens tomorrow (Saturday, March 9) and will run until May 5.

For more information, head to geelonggallery.org.au