Education: Schools & SALA
SALA Festival is proud to have Credit Union SA as our Education Partner, supporting the visual arts in schools and school participation in the Festival at many different levels.
Educators wanting to get involved with SALA Festival should head to our School Participation page for more details and sign up to the Educator Mailing List for updates.
Art careers made tangible
With SALA exhibitions reaching across the state, August is an opportune time to weave SA artists into the curriculum and expose students to people in their communities who have made a career in the visual arts.
SALA announces their annual Feature Artist ahead of each festival, which Educators can incorporate into their teaching. The Feature Artist’s work is celebrated on the official Festival poster, in an exhibition in the Festival, and through the development of a publication through Wakefield Press.
The SALA Program is released in July both in print and online, with Educators able to see which artists will be exhibiting -and in which venues- ahead of the Festival. The online Program and the free SALA App (App Store/Google Play) provide an interactive map that shows exhibitions nearby, which can be useful for planning excursions. The program is also filterable by event type so that one can search for online exhibitions, physical exhibitions, artist talks or demonstrations specifically.
Student Exhibitions
Another way that students can be involved in SALA is to exhibit their art. Every year South Australian schools and early learning centres register exhibitions of student artwork to be part of the Festival in August. This provides young people with real exhibition experience and places them in the same program as some of the state’s most established artists. It also provides the wider South Australian community with a glimpse at our future artists. Use the filters when searching the online SALA Program to see which school near you is putting on an exhibition.
Credit Union SA School Awards
Each year a selection of student exhibitions are recognised in the Credit Union SA School Awards. Established in 2018, the School Awards aim to encourage South Australian schools to participate in the SALA Festival. Credit Union SA offer a prize of $2,500 to winning schools, and $1,000 to commended schools, recognising different strengths and creativity in presenting student artwork to the community.
WINNERS (& judges’ comments):
Christies Beach Primary School
Coastal Connections not only gave primacy to students’ learning and rationale behind their work, but was presented in an engaging installation in the school library that cohesively tied all of the work together.
Littlehampton Primary School
Touched by Nature featured an incredible range of media in a thoughtful installation in the Littlehampton Peace Memorial Hall. A fantastic SALA debut.
Nuriootpa High School
Hidden Creatures of the Barossa brought highly-considered sculptural works (creatures) to a number of shopfronts in the Barossa. A great way to bring student work to the community in an engaging way.
St Aloysius College
Signs of the Times utilised a small space to present big themes by using the format of the postcard as a way for students to be heard on current issues. An impressive emphasis on student voice and tackling big ideas.
COMMENDATIONS (& judges’ comments):
Pinnacle College
Diverse and United presented an engaging online exhibition of very polished and authentically diverse work.
Riverland Special School
Tales of Textiles proved how creativity can be bolstered by a restraint – focusing on the medium of textiles encouraged a myriad of creative ideas. The domestic object installations with textile intervention were a particular highlight.
WINNERS
Adelaide High School – Adelaide High School SALA Exhibition 2020
Faith Lutheran College – Feels to Frames – Faith Lutheran College Year 6 Artists
St John’s Grammar School – Ã la carte
Wirreanda Secondary School – Classic Blue
COMMENDATIONS
Nuriootpa High School – Nuriootpa High School Senior SALA Exhibition
Walkerville Primary School – Walk the Terrace with Walkerville Primary School
WINNERS
St John’s Grammar – Conversations with Line
Riverland Special School – Sensory Stars
The Heights School – The Heights School Art Exhibition Competition
St Gabriel’s School – Gabriel’s Gallery
COMMENDATIONS
Bridgewater Primary School – The Earth Beneath Our Feet
Woodside Primary School – We All Smile in the Same Language
Bowden Brompton Community School – Kill the Streets
Primary School Award:
JOINT WINNERS
Woodside Primary – Plastic Oceans
St Brigid’s School – Identity Explorers
RUNNER UP
Elizabeth Grove Primary School – Square-eyed
Secondary School Award:
WINNER
South Coast collective of schools including Encounter Lutheran College, Investigator College & Victor Harbor High School – SALA School Art Show
JOINT RUNNERS UP
Bowden Brompton Community School – Work Hard Dream Big
St John’s Grammar School – Current Practice
Artists in Schools
Another way that the visual arts are being nurtured in South Australian schools is through the Artists in Schools Program, presented by SALA Festival and Credit Union SA. Practicing South Australian visual artists are paired with schools to deliver engaging and dynamic learning and support educators in providing diverse learning opportunities for students.
