Students’ creativity takes centre stage at ArtSpeak Studio Exhibition

STUDENTS with disability and diverse learning needs from across the Tweed have had their creative voices celebrated through the ArtSpeak Studio Exhibition, showcasing their artwork as part of Murwillumbah’s recent LAVA Arts Festival.

The exhibition was a collaboration between NDIS partner Social Futures and the Tweed 7, a network of seven schools with specialist learning and support units, creating new opportunities for students to express themselves through art.

Social Futures community development coordinator Gemma Hayes said the exhibition builds on the success of previous community art projects that highlighted the experiences of people with neurodivergence, d/Deafness and disability.

“The ArtSpeak exhibition is a wonderful platform for artistic expression and a catalyst for dialogue, advocacy and inclusion,” Hayes said.

“It has provided an opportunity for students to explore their identity and express themselves in a creative and unstructured way.”

“The exhibition amplifies the students’ voices and broadens their networks.”

“Each piece is accompanied by a statement from the artist, allowing insight and appreciation of their diverse experiences.”

Digital artwork by Banora Point High School student Dash Nelson was featured in promotional materials for the exhibition.

“My artwork shows how unique people can be, and how colourful our personalities are,” Dash said.

“It shows how creative you can be when you are trying to express yourself.”

The ArtSpeak Studio concept was developed after Banora Point High School Support Unit special education teacher Kate Parker approached Social Futures with a proposal to create the project, building on her previous work with Hayes on a previous art project.

Parker created the ArtSpeak visual arts program for students in years 7 to 12, providing a resource for teachers across the Tweed 7 schools to use during weekly classes.

Across 10 weeks, students explored identity, creativity and self-expression through a range of artistic methods, with their ideas and approaches evolving throughout the process.

“The central questions students explored were ‘Who am I?’ and ‘How do I show up in the world?’,” Parker said.

“Each student’s project took on a life of its own.”

“Their initial ideas remained the same, but the process and mediums they chose to use changed along the way.”

“It’s really nice to have seen the students be so flexible throughout the process.”

The ArtSpeak Studio Exhibition was designed to be inclusive, accessible and welcoming to people of all abilities, backgrounds and identities.

The exhibition was held at the M|Arts Precinct in Murwillumbah from 26 June to 1 July.