The SRC consulted with students from Year 2 to Year 6 and invited children to submit artistic entries to depict different environments. Year 2 engaged in drawing ‘desert’ scenes; Year 3 created ‘bush’ and ‘alpine’ scenes; Year 4 designed ‘grassland’ and ‘marine’ scenes; Year 5 drew ‘coastal’ and ‘wetland’ environments, and Year 6 set out to encapsulate both ‘urban’ and ‘rainforest’ areas.
After consultation with the SRC, Mrs Shearman, Mrs Luscombe and Mrs Katie Gibbons, seven entries were chosen. The winning artists were Alana Martin, Anna Stewart-Yates, Benjamin Yu, Dasith Dangalle, Anita Qian, Chris Gibbons, Michael Park, Alana Pratt and Emilie Glasson. The standard of all entries was impressive.
The mural was to span 64 square metres. Each artist’s work was projected and drawn onto the wall. Then each artist in turn was given the opportunity to paint their work onto the wall under the expert guidance of artist Mrs Katie Gibbons. The edges of each art work were masked in preparation for the next phase.
An Aboriginal artist whose origins arise from the Beecroft area assisted the children to unify the different designs. Bundaluk (whose name means Rosella) modeled to the children different techniques of Aboriginal painting. The children from every class learnt to adorn the mural with different native animals. All children placed their hand prints upon the wall. They initialed their work and dated it.
The result is a colourful and unique testimony to the wonderful talents of Beecroft students.
