Creative Learning Partnerships

Gowrie Street Primary School, Shepparton, $35,000

A dual-residency exchange will see students become 'artists in residence' at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), and ACCA educators and artists setting up camp at the school.  Students will consider the question, “What is public space and what role can they, as artists, play in it?” ACCA’s exhibition Who’s Afraid of Public Space? will kickstart a series of artist-led workshops, city-adventure excursions and exhibitions of the students’ artworks at both at ACCA and within their local community.

Glenroy Secondary College, Glenroy, $31,885

Students will join forces with Western Edge Youth Arts to transform a short story into a short film. They will explore creative practices, including performance, acting, cinematography, movement and production design, and use these to enhance ideas and stories told through text. They will establish student-led production teams to produce their short films.

Seymour Flexible Learning Centre, Seymour, $35,000

Students will be mentored in a visual arts project by street art organisation 90 Degrees Creative to explore ways that public art can communicate a sense of place and enable pride of place. Students will work with the creative crew on the creation of street art collaborations.

Sacred Heart Primary School, Fitzroy, $35,000

Students will work with creative organisation Storyscape to explore identity, asking “How do culture, family and experiences all shape identity?” Together they will use creative writing, song writing, narrative therapy processes, digital storytelling, participatory video, photography and theatre making to build skills and present a community performance.

Wonthaggi North Primary School, Wonthaggi, $10,000

Students will join with creative duo Lucy Parkinson and Gonzalo Varela to explore ancient ecosystems as well as changes in their local ecology and in their own lives.  Using fieldwork and fossils as inspiration, students will create interactive, moving theatrical scenery and a large-scale puppet based on the Cape Patterson Claw to tell their stories.

Beeac Primary School, Beeac, $10,000

Students will team up with creative professional Penelope Bartlau to tell digital stories of their environment in a geography-based research and performance project. Geo-location technology will be utilised by students to learn about the land and develop tales of their country. Students will learn performance and production skills, including live storytelling and puppetry, to share their discoveries in a performance for their local community.

Mount Pleasant Primary School, Mount Pleasant, $10,000

A partnership between students and creative professional Mairin Briody will explore the question “what is my impact?” as they contribute to a wishing well installation. Students will learn about composition, form and colour theory while examining themes of self-esteem and respect. The project will culminate in a collaborative mural.

Ararat Secondary College, Ararat, $10,000

Ararat Schools Resilient Art program sees Ararat Secondary College take the lead in a community partnership between a cluster of small, local schools in the Ararat region and visual artist Alyshia McInnes. Together they will explore themes of gratitude and happiness, developing resilience, community connections and wellbeing. The project will culminate in an interconnected art installation for the local region.

East Preston Islamic College, East Preston, $10,000

Taking inspiration from both Islamic and Australian art, students will explore their understanding of self through text and visual art. Working with writer Alice Pung, they will learn creative writing techniques and generate their own writings and artworks. Their project will culminate in the publication of the students’ work.

Tempy Primary School, Tempy, $10,000

Directing and composing a documentary set in the Mallee region, students will be guided by theatre-maker, playwright, director, composer Anthony Crowley.  Students will use the metaphor of a wheat harvest to explore the theme of ‘emergence’ utilising their new skills in music, soundscape, art, video, story and poetry.

Yea Primary School, Yea, $10,000

Students will work with creative professional Jens Altheimer to explore the theme of ‘connectedness’ by examining relationships with family, friends, society, place, nature and the world. They will experiment with different artistic disciplines, including video, theatre, movement, shadow puppetry, painting and sound. The project will culminate with an event that brings together video projection and live performance, presented to their local community.

Fitzroy Primary School, Fitzroy, $10,000

Students will work with professional podcaster Oscar Jolly to develop the skills required to create their own podcasts.  The project will explore the student’s understanding of the world around them, their place in it and how to express their thoughts and feelings to an audience.

Outdoor School - Bogong Campus, Bogong, $10,000

Working with author Craig Dent, students will imagine and create their visions of the future wilderness in the Bogong High Plains and Village areas in the year 2040. Inspired by global research, students will be engaged through creative writing and visual arts. The students’ writing will be brought to life through 3D virtual rendering of their imaginings of the future.

Nullawarre and District Primary School, Nullawarre, $10,000

Working with visual artists Taree Mackenzie and Danielle O'Brien, students will research ways of communicating identity through text and representational forms.  Students will learn ways to articulate themselves and make connections through colour, light and shape.

Altona North Primary, $35,000      

‘Nip IT’ is a live performance project bringing together theatre artists, a digital game designer and students to develop a live, participatory game exploring the world of online games. Along the way, students will explore links and differences between ‘real world’ and online games, between playing a game and being played by a game. Kids Thrive is an arts and community organisation committed to child-led social change.

Belle Vue Park Primary School, $10,000

‘Storytelling via Film’ is a project designed by documentary filmmaker and photographer Greta Tucker to give students the agency to tell their stories through film, animation and music. Students will be encouraged to express themselves outside of the traditional classroom setting, promoting curiosity, enthusiasm for learning, new skills, teamwork and ultimately confidence.

Braemar College, $10,000

Theatre Artist Dr. Dave Kelman will join Year 8 students and teachers for ‘Surreal Tales - A Journey into Symbol’, a student-led theatre project encouraging students to write original short theatre pieces that explore their feelings and social concerns through metaphor and humour, culminating in a performance for the school community.

Carrum Primary School, $10,000

Students from Grades 5 and 6 will work with ABC broadcaster and author Paul Kennedy to write and produce Carrum Chronicles, a series of local history podcasts. The series will be broadcast on community radio station Radio Carrum. A short documentary on the process and an accompanying education kit will be developed as a ‘how to’ guide for other schools.

East Loddon P-12 College, $10,000

‘Our Land’ is a street art project raising cultural awareness of the rich First Nations history of the area, as well as the strong agricultural history, through a deep-dive investigation that will culminate in a series of art installations created on transportable 'canvases' such as grain bins, dilapidated tractors and other agricultural equipment for display throughout the community. Artist Reece Hendy will work with students and teachers to deliver the project.

Hume Central Secondary College, $10,000

Year 8 art students will collaborate with artist Yandell Watson and the Centre of Projection to produce ‘The Light’, hand-drawn projection artworks that will be displayed on various buildings throughout the local area. Students will draw inspiration from the theme ‘past, present and future’, employing techniques such as stop motion and other animation to create the series of works.

Maharishi School, $35,000

‘Grandmother Moon’ is an exploration of the night sky through the lens of First Peoples culture and storytelling. Working with Penelope Bartlau from Barking Spider Visual Theatre, students will use installation art, performance, song and puppetry to examine the connection between the stars, planets and Earth according to First Peoples storytelling.

Simpson Primary School, $10,000

‘Journey Beyond Rural Roads’ is a digital media project that will get students experimenting with animation, software programs, claymation, photography, video production and green screen design to create a local history film.

Staughton College, $10,000

Through ‘Art Activism - Conceptual Installations’ students will work with artist Ben Taranto to understand how artists conduct research to express a message through their work. Students will conduct research into world issues of their choice and develop skills to communicate their findings, thoughts and opinions through their own artworks. The project culminates in collaborative artworks that use contemporary materials such as video projection and found objects from the school.

Tate Street Primary School, $10,000

Students will investigate the issues and ethical questions surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI) in ‘That Which Makes Us Human...’, a theatre and creative writing project encouraging students to think critically about complex moral and ethical issues. Theatre artist Jane Rafe will guide students on their journey through the latest developments and research in the field of AI, as well as film and literary references, as they consider what makes us human.

Wantirna South Primary School, $10,000

In ‘WaSPS 80 Years and Still Flying’, students will work with artist Brett Ashby to create a mural exploring local history and identity. Through a consultation process that will include the broader school community, local Council and local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, students will learn how to engage a community to create a meaningful and inclusive artwork for all. The mural will be displayed in the school’s common outdoor space.

Waratah Special Developmental School, $10,000

Drama therapist Amanda Musicka-Williams will deliver ‘The Safety Toolbox - keeping yourself safe’, a program for students who have moderate to severe intellectual disabilities exploring concepts of personal space, types of behaviours and relationships. Students will explore these concepts by creating stories that will become short drama pieces.

Western English Language School, $35,000

‘Neon Stories’ brings together students, members of Footscray Community Arts Centre and award-winning artists from Indirect Object for an immersive, hands-on art installation project. Students will work collaboratively to create a sculptural artwork that combines interactive technology with sustainably sourced and recycled materials. The work will be inspired by the question, ‘if you could open a door to anywhere, where would you go?’

Yarrawonga P-12 College, $10,000

Author Dee White will take students on a creative writing journey for ‘Write on the Murray - Everyone has a story to tell’, a project giving students the skills and inspiration to write their own stories. Along the way, students will consider the role of storytelling in the history and culture of an area, well as their place in the wider world. The project will culminate in a published anthology of student works.

Deer Park North Primary School, Deer Park, $10,000
Foundation to grade 6 students and their teachers will work with artist Anthony Crawley to create, record, and perform a series of songs, and accompanying artworks, that explore the theme of gratitude. The project is linked with the school's literacy curriculum, Auslan program, its 'Respectful Relationships' program, and 'Gratitude Garden' which encourages positive thinking and reflection.

Eastwood Primary School, Ringwood East, $10,000
Students will work with singer and songwriter Kutcha Edwards to explore how to develop a concept for a song and how to create melodies, poetry, lyrics, verses and choruses. Students will create music that - like Kutcha's - conveys a sense of connectedness, gratitude and understanding of who they are. With a focus on students in years 5 and 6, the project has strong curriculum links to Literature and will run at the same time as a unit covering First Peoples culture.

Harrietville Primary School, Harrietville, $10,000
Drawing inspiration from the family members of students who volunteer for emergency search parties across the alps, students will work with writer Craig Dent to search through the snow to find words that have been lost and forgotten. Students will explore creative writing and will create artworks that document their journeys to rediscover and revive the lost words. Their creations will form a virtual book that will be shared to a wider audience, including to primary students in Canada. Aimed at students in years 3 to 6, the project will connect with curriculum in literature, literacy and language.

Northern Bay College, Corio, $35,000
Students in years 6-8 will collaborate with Western Edge Youth Arts to explore what makes a strong community and how communities can deal with environmental challenges. Students will start by exploring their own and each other's cultural backgrounds and will consider the impact that environmental challenges are having on global migration. Students will learn skills in drama, physical theatre, spoken word poetry, film, animation and sculptural art and use these skills to tell personal, cultural, historical and scientific stories. The project will create a mass performance piece involving 50 students and will be linked to a wider exploration of sustainability across the curriculum.

Point Cook College P-9, Point Cook, $10,000
Drawing inspiration from the migratory shorebirds that depend on the Point Cook habitat, students from years 2, 5 and 6 will collaborate with printmaker and writer Kate Gorringe-Smith on a project that explores their own family stories of migration. Students will develop skills in creative writing and will learn about mapping and navigation while also creating linocut prints to illustrate their stories. Students will go on to perform their migration stories for the wider school community.

Ringwood Heights Primary School, Ringwood North, $10,000
Students in years 5 and 6 will work with artist Michael Schiell on a visual art and sculpture project that will explore the concepts of belonging, identity and transitions in life. The students will work with Michael to create sculptural 'nests' using materials from the surrounding environment. These nests will symbolise the primary school environment and students will explore their experiences as 'fledglings' preparing to leave the nest and move into high school and adolescence.

St Marys Parish School, Colac, $35,000Students will work with Barking Spider Visual Theatre on a project based on the Japanese concept of 'Kaidan' which roughly translates to 'talking about and sharing strange, mysterious, rare, or bewitching occurrences'. Students will explore the things that make them wonder, gasp, give them goosebumps or seem improbable, and will then explore the science behind them. Working across the school community, with a focus on grade 4, students will create stories and turn them into an interactive performance event. The project will complement the school's LOTE program focused on Japanese culture, as well as studies in Science and English.

Sydney Road Community School, Brunswick, $35,000
Students in years 7-10 will work with Rawcus Theatre on a project that explores the intersection between art and sport. Students will work with Rawcus' team of artists with and without disability as well as basketball players and MCs to deconstruct the techniques, flow and movement of a basketball game. They will use this to create an inclusive theatre performance that incorporates theatre, spoken word, dance and movement. The project will culminate in two public performances and will be linked to the curriculum in areas such as critical and creative thinking, health and physical education and personal and social capability.

Winters Flat Primary School, Castlemaine, $10,000
Students in grades 5 and 6 will work with artist Eliza-Jane Gilchrist to create a large immersive ‘garden’ sculpture made of recycled cardboard, to be shared with their community. Students will examine the plants in the school's kitchen garden and use them as inspiration for their sculptural creations. The project will be integrated into the maths and English curriculum, with students using their skills in symmetry and 3D objects to create the sculptures and undertaking creative writing tasks that are inspired by the project. The students that participate in the project will pass on their learning to younger students in collaborative workshops.

Yarrabah Special Developmental School, Aspendale, $35,000
Students will work with McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery staff and artists from Slow Art Collective to create a giant, woven architectural installation that will be displayed in the grounds of the gallery. The work will use bamboo, scaffolds and recycled fabric yarn to make an all-abilities, multi-sensory installation for both art and play. Created through workshops that support the inclusion of all participants, the work will disrupt the myth that people with autism like being alone.

Yarrunga Primary School, Wangaratta, $35,000
Students in years 1 and 2 will work with artists and staff from Wangaratta Art Gallery on a textile art project that explores the region's history. Students will create a textile installation at school as well as an exhibition at Wangaratta Art Gallery. The project, which will involve First Peoples textile artists, will draw on the First Peoples history of Yarrunga, which is an Aboriginal word meaning 'Tall Trees'. The project will be part of a whole-school unit on the history of Wangaratta. It will explore the trajectory of time from being First Peoples land, to the settlement of Wangaratta, the establishment of the Wangaratta Woollen Mills in 1923 and Bruck Textiles in 1946, a significant employer in the town and to the families of Yarrunga. Students will look at the textiles in the gallery's collection and the project will coincide with the Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award.

Big Hill Primary School, Big Hill, $10,000
Students from all year levels and their teachers will work with artist Troy Firebrace and local emerging Dja Dja Wurrung artist Daikota Nelson on a project that will see students immerse themselves in rich Aboriginal culture. Together they will explore traditional art concepts to create a collective art piece titled 'Womin-dji-ka', the Dja Dja Wurrung word for 'welcome'. Students will work individually and cooperatively with their peers, local community members and their families to explore cultural identity, beliefs and history, and this will form the inspiration for the mural.

Birmingham Primary School - Mount Evelyn, $10,000
As part of the school’s 40^th anniversary celebrations, this project saw students in grades 5 and 6 work with visual artist Robert Scholten to explore the many intercultural stories from within the school community. Students worked with each other, their families, teachers and the local community to further gather stories and help define the idea of a ‘Birmingham identity’.

Clunes Primary School, $10,000
Year 6 students will work with artists Christy Flaws and Luke O'Connor from physical theatre company Asking for Trouble to create a circus and physical theatre performance that explores the idea of a hero’s journey. Students will examine their own stories and heroic moments. They will write scripts and create a collaborative performance on the themes of resilience, journeys and overcoming challenges.

Coburg Primary School, $10,000
Students in grades 3 and 4 will work with artists Sarah Austin and Alex Walker to creatively explore the things children think about when they are lying awake at night – from fear, to excitement, worry or joy. The students will interview each other and their parents and will then work with Sarah and Alex to translate their research material into vignettes of music, movement, puppetry and physical theatre which will be performed across a range of sites on the school campus.

Coldstream Primary School, $10,000
Students from prep to grade 2 have worked with visual artist David Monks to create an exciting new space at the school that encourages reading. Students created artworks and installations for the space and throughout the project they learned about how creativity and design can transform an environment and change behaviour.

Collingwood College, $35,000
In partnership with local artist-run-initiative Bus Projects, students in grade 3 and 4 will work with artist and digital games designer Harry Lee on a project that will explore local spaces, the way people interact and move from place to place. Students will create multi-media artworks and sound recordings and will devise a performance using interactive technology. The project will culminate in the creation of a ‘walking school bus' – a trail that leads from the school to Bus Projects headquarters.

Dandenong Primary School $35,000
Monash University Museum of Art and lead artist Kym Maxwell will work with students in grades 3 and 4 to explore the notion of collecting and how it shapes the history and culture of a community. Students will learn about the curation process and will create an exhibition. They will also work with artists to collect stories that will form the basis of a theatre work to be performed at the school and museum.

Derrinallum P-12 College, $10,000
Students from prep to year 10 will work with artist Toni Main and the Mount Elephant Volcanic Centre to develop a large scale performance work. During the project, students will collect local stories about the nearby extinct volcano, known as Mount Elephant, and will share their own personal stories about what it means to have this iconic mountain in their backyard. The final performance will be staged in the grounds of the Volcanic Centre as part of 'Waking the Giants' – a major community celebration paying tribute to the mountain.

Eltham Primary School $35,000
Contemporary art organisation, School with No Walls, worked with students in grades 5 and 6 to create a large scale performance installation that explores concepts of how living things adapt to environments, how the environment affects survival, and how people impact on the environment.

Emerald Secondary College, $10,000
Students worked with artist Jane Brown on a project that will explore the idea that beauty and value can be found in everyone and anything. Students created an interactive sculpture for the school’s sensory garden. The sculpture was made using metals, wheels, wire and scrap materials with the idea of creating beauty where others cannot see it.

Footscray City Primary School, $10,000
In this whole school project, actor Daniela Farrinaci, will work with students on a project that explores the many facets of voice – from the ‘inner’ voice to the voice of a community. Students will explore voice from a range of perspectives and will create performances, spanning music, theatre, dance and more which will be performed as part of the school’s annual Big Day Out festival.

Geelong East Primary School $10,000
Students from grades 3 and 4 will work with artist Angie MacMillan on a puppetry and storytelling project that will explore and celebrate the landscape surrounding the school and the wildlife of the area. Students will learn Indigenous stories about local birds and will explore Indigenous culture, tradition and beliefs. Students will then work with Angie to create puppets and will share their findings in a performance for the local community.

Mooroopna Secondary College, $28,000
Students in years 9 and 10 will work with the Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) team and artists Masato Takasako, Katie Jacobs and Trent Walter on a project that will familiarise them with the museum environment and demystify the art-making process. Students will participate in workshops focusing on creating installations, ceramics and printmaking which will give them an understanding of how art is made, how it is discussed and how it is presented in a museum.

Mother of God School - Ardeer, $10,000
Students in grades 4-6 will work with artists Jenny Ellis and Jeremy Lavender of Little Wing Puppets to learn the art and craft of Japanese Bunraku style puppetry. Students will work with the artists to share their personal stories and will then create a script and a puppetry performance that explores personal identity.

Rainbow P-12 College, $10,000
Students in years 9 and 10 will work with sculptor Alex Sanson on a sculpture project that explores how energy is transferred from one surface to another. This creative project will encompass aspects of physics, mathematics and technology as students learn about the relationship between force, motion and energy to create a large scale kinetic sculpture.

St Joseph’s Flexible Learning Centre – North Melbourne, $35,000
Students will work with Arts House and lead artist Kate Sulan on a project that explores the importance of resilience. Kate will work with students to design and create their own personal emotional preparedness kit – a ‘grab and go’ bag that students could use in the case of an emotional emergency.  Kate will work with students to design and craft their individualised kit which will contain specially created items that fill each student with a sense of hope, calm and joy. The project will culminate in an exhibition at Arts House in August.

St Kilda Park Primary School, $10,000
Students in grades 3-6 will work with artists and writers Maryanne Lynch and Richard Holt on a ‘micro-fiction’ creative writing project that explores the many histories - real and imagined - of Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. Students will take part in specially-designed writing walks where they will learn about local Indigenous history as well as ecological and urban geography. They will then develop imaginative written responses which will be translated into digital art, and performances to be presented to the school community.

Warrnambool East Primary School, $10,000
Students from grades 5 and 6 will work with multi-disciplinary artist Vicky Shukuroglou and writer, editor and anthologist Bruce Pascoe to explore the Aboriginal history of the region and to share their own connections to Country. Vicky will work within the school environment and Bruce will be a virtual creative professional ‘attending’ the sessions via online ‘polycom’ technology. Throughout the project, students will connect with local Elders and will develop skills in drawing, writing, photography and performance and will create a collection of artworks that share their learnings. The student’s work will form a book that will invite readers to explore their own connections to, and understanding of, the country that surrounds them.