EDUCATION PROGRAM

The involvement of local schools and students is a major focus of every Strand Ephemera. Gallery Services offers all schools within the region the possibility to be involved in workshops and guided tours, and provides both an Activity Booklet and Education Kit that responds to works in the exhibition and links with current syllabus.

In total, 218 programs were delivered specifically for schools as part of Strand Ephemera, involving some 2853 students and teachers. This figure represents official involvement by schools who applied to be a part of the public program only, and doesn’t capture the schools and students who visited the exhibition without informing the Gallery of their visit. Impressively, it also marks a 30.39% increase in school student and teacher particiaption from the 2013 staging of Strand Ephemera

30 minute guided tours of sections of the exhibition were provided by Gallery staff and volunteers, with these programs often coupled with workshops that allowed students to learn skills directly from participating artists.

Workshops included sand sculpting techniques with either The Amazin’ Walter, Jino van Bruinessen, or Peter Redmond; introductory pavement art workshops with Rudy Kistler and Andi Mether, or more advanced work with Jenny McCracken on her major work Bridge Over Troubled WatersTownsville; participatory theatre with Shane Keen and John Bradshaw as part of La Luna Youth Arts’ Magical Travel Box; or one-off workshops with a number of the competing sculptors.

Also contributing to the high levels of school engagement was The Strand Ephemera School Project. This pilot project saw noted North Queensland sculptor Ben Trupperbäumer work with three secondary schools in the Townsville region leading in to Strand Ephemera to develop a collaborative work that would ultimately form part of the exhibition.

In total, 16 schools participated in Strand Ephemera 2015 (3 more than were involved in 2013). Participating schools were:

• Annandale Christian College

• Ayr State School

• Bowen State High School

• C & K Koolkuna

• Charters Towers High School

• Gilroy Santa Maria College

• Holy Spirit Catholic School, Cranbrook

• Northern Beaches State High School

• Shalom Christian College

• Southern Cross Catholic College

• St Anthony’s Catholic College

• St Joseph’s Mundingburra

• St Joseph’s The Strand

• St Patrick’s College

• Townsville South State School

• William Ross State High School

Below is a breakdown of the significant number of students who benefitted by being involved in Strand Ephemera 2015.