The Pictures of the Overberg Art Celebration, an art competition for learners from Grade R to Grade 9, is gaining in popularity every year.
This competition, hosted by the Overberg Education District (OED) in partnership with the Caledon Museum, drew a record number of entries this year.
Margie Clarke of OED told Hermanus Times: “This is the eighth year of this competition, which is open to learners from any of the Overberg schools. Learners can enter any artwork they have produced during the year, that is from January until August when the competition closes. Not only does the competition grow every year, but the quality of entries submitted also improves every year.”
Well-known Greyton artist and art teacher Gabby van Heerden was the keynote speaker. She encouraged the learners to carry on doing art, saying a creative mind was the key to success in any chosen field. To her, every entry deserved gold, and she praised the art teachers for their commitment.
Odette Weir, regional manager of Overberg Museums, said Caledon Museum was delighted to host this exhibition again. “This year we also, through a sponsor, were able to print the works of the 10 gold-medal winners on canvas,” she said. “These works were exhibited at Nampo and will now be available on an online auction.”
Ciara Titus, a Grade 8 learner at De Villiers Graaff High school in Villiersdorp, who won the same last year, won gold for her Greyton scene. “I am very happy about the medal,” she told Hermanus Times. “Art is still a passion of mine. I visited Greyton recently and visited many art galleries. I was so inspired by the creativity, so I decided to paint this scene of Greyton. I used a photo as reference, but added other elements like the bicycle.”
Learners from 32 primary schools and 10 secondary schools entered a total of 440 art works. The judges had no easy task choosing the final 270 artworks (about 30 per grade), which were on display at the Caledon Museum.
The handing over of the medals took place at the Caledon Museum on Saturday 5 October. For information about the online auction contact the Caledon Museum on 028 212 1511
