Parents, teachers and soccer coaches will get a chance to shine as children are invited to create portraits of significant people in their lives for the first Young Archie competition. Created to coincide with The Archibald, Whynne and Sulmam Prizes of 2013, the Art Gallery of New South Wales has created this new art competition as one of many family-focused activities during the exhibition.
The Young Archie will be organised into four age categories: 5-8 years, 9-12 years, 13-15 years and 16-18 years. Unlike the Archibald Prize, where portraits usually depict someone distinguished in an artistic, academic or political field, Young Archie competitors are required to create a portrait of someone special whom they personally know. Merit and originality will be deciding factors in the competition.
Ben Quilty, winner of the 2011 Archibald Prize, will be judging the competition along with Victoria Collings, the AGNSW senior coordinator of education and family programs. Collings believes, ‘The competition is an opportunity to enable children to become part of the ongoing discussion about the importance of portraiture and recognising human endeavours in our community.’
Previous Instagram competitions, writing competitions, and the annual Art Express exhibition for outstanding secondary art students showcase the AGNSW’s desire to bring children and the gallery together. Activities aimed at communicating the art of portraiture to younger generations such as the Archibald Prize holiday workshop for children and Face It teenage drawing class are currently running through the school holidays. If successful, they will be a sign of more youth-oriented programs to come.
Collings believes the Young Archie competition can help to achieve this. ‘We want to build on that feeling of the gallery being for them and that they’re part of art as well and that they can contribute. People love to look at what children can do. We see that every year with Art Express. This is a lovely way to combine that success of Art Express and success of Archibald and bring it together in a lovely experience for family and children to engage with.’
The five finalists from each category will have their work hung at the AGNSW and uploaded on the gallery website. Each winner will also receive a $100 ANZ Visa Debit card and money box, a Faber Castell art pack, a family pass to the upcoming Sydney Moderns exhibition and the Archibald 13 catalogue. Finalists will receive the ANZ money box and the Archibald 13 catalogue.
Entries must be received by 9pm Wednesday 1 May. Finalists will be displayed 10 May to 2 June with winners announced 16 May.
The exhibition will run from 10 May until 2 June.
