Student artists in Years 7 to 10 were celebrated today as winners of the inaugural Canal to Creek Art Prize, bringing art into the state-of-the-art WestConnex Motorway Control Centre at St Peters.
Twelve students and one school were awarded prizes and toured a permanent gallery of their artworks at the operations centre from which the WestConnex motorway network is monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Dr Fiona Martin MP said the Prize was another way the community was already benefiting from the WestConnex project.
“The Canal to Creek Art Prize is an excellent example of the broader commitment by Transurban and the Australian and New South Wales Governments to deliver new open space as part of the transformational WestConnex project,” Dr Martin said.
“As Australia’s largest road infrastructure project, WestConnex is delivering faster, safer journeys for motorists, commuters and businesses in my community of Reid and across Sydney, as well as 23km of new and improved cycleways and walkways.”
NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Kevin Conolly MP, congratulated the winning students whose work stood out among the hundreds of entries from across the state.
“I would like congratulate all the winners, from Coffs Harbour to Camden, for their outstanding efforts, as well as the hundreds of students who were inspired to get creative,” Mr Conolly said.
“For students, teachers and parents navigating the challenges of remote learning, the Canal to Creek Art Prize provided a practical and engaging outlet for budding artists to explore the themes of ecology, community, transformation, indigenous culture or heritage in their own art.”
Transurban’s Head of Public Affairs NSW, Alisa Hitchcock, said Transurban is committed to engaging and strengthening these communities around WestConnex.
“In the next decade around 40 per cent of Sydney will live within five kilometres of WestConnex, and we are ensuring the WestConnex Public Art program continues to benefit the community,” Ms Hitchcock said.
“Eighteen public artworks between St Peters and Beverly Hills have revitalised public spaces along the WestConnex corridor, and a complementary interactive art portal will continue to engage students and teachers across the state with creative ideas through videos, learning resources and virtual art gallery.”
The portal, developed in partnership with the Visual Arts and Design Educators Association of NSW, aligns directly to the NSW curriculum and includes worksheets, unit overviews, suggested in-class art making activities and all the information schools need.
Images of the winning artworks are available for download here
