International art competition offers children the chance to work through isolation blues

Art Encounters, a Melbourne art school for children and teenagers, has launched an international art competition for children and teens inspired by a place that has become increasingly familiar as of late: home.

 

Given that children around the world have spent varying lengths of time isolating at home throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many are now returning to education and care settings with memories and thoughts of their time to work through. Art can offer a medium by which children can express any feelings or concerns they may have from this time. 

 

My World at Home encourages budding artists under the age of 18, from any corner of the globe, to use the competition as a time to reflect on their experience over the last few months and create a unique piece of art that depicts their world at home, whatever that may be.

 

Art Encounters Director Dena Lester said she hopes the competition will sow the seeds of creating “a global community of young creatives from all nations, backgrounds, belief systems, political structures and socio-economic conditions”. 

 

While the presence of online technologies and systems has meant that the instant information and connections have enabled this unprecedented period to feel like a shared experience for children, the medium is intangible. 

 

Art, Ms Lester said, “can reflect this notion by providing an opportunity – especially for children – to slow down and use creative tactile skills to make sense of both individual emotions and collective world events.”

 

My World at Home is free to enter, and supported by Derwent Pencils, with the prize pool valued at over $8,000. Entrants can use pencils, watercolours or paints to create their piece, and are encouraged to be creative with the theme. 

 

Entries close 9 August 2020. Terms and conditions of the competition may be accessed here.