Category / Young Eco Champions

by Lynne Strong

Archibull Prize Judging Tour goes to the Atherton Tablelands

The Archibull Prize judging tour Week 1 Day 2 saw our well-travelled judge Wendy Taylor fly from Sydney to Cairns and drive to the Tablelands Regional Gallery to see the masterpieces created by the four schools participating in far north Queensland

This is what Wendy had to say about the bovine artworks produced by the four schools in the region

Atherton State High School

“Cornealus”, not surprisingly, is all about Corn.

A grain industry story is told, while nestling beneath the recognisable skyline of the Atherton Tablelands. The striking contrast of the black and white Holstein base being overtaken by twining corn stalks grabs attention. Their love of their local community is obvious, as is their connection to the maize industry.

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You can hear the song they wrote for the competition here

You can read their blog here

Mareeba State High School

“Savannah” definitely hails from the remote gulf areas of Australia. Her flat desert browns are beautifully balanced by the soft hints of colour on her landscape. She depicts the beef industry from dawn to dusk, showcasing the people involved in it, as well as the animals. The fascinating techniques used create a subtle and beautiful effect, which perfectly complements the colour palette.

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You can read their blog here

Malanda State High School

This beef “Patty” has definitely gone green.

Sustainability in the beef industry is the theme for Patty and it shows. She has pasture grasses growing out of her back, and trees growing from her horns. She is textural and informative. Not many beef Patties make you want to touch them, but this beef Patty definitely does.

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See the students Archibull journey here

Ravenshoe State School

This is one “A-maizing” Cow.

The ‘yellow brick road’ made from corn, is the hero. The time and care taken for this one element are astonishing. It weaves around her, taking the viewer on a journey through the Grains industry from the paddock to the pub (and the bake’rye’ and ‘corn’er shop). In this case, all roads don’t lead to Rome; they either lead to or from the silo.

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by Lynne Strong

Remembering what we’ve got before it becomes what we had

Last year Art4Agriculture through funding from Caring for our Country was able to train Young Eco Champions to go into schools with our Young Farming Champions as part of the Archibull Prize. The objective of the Young Eco Champions program at a grass roots level is to raise

  • awareness of, and a passion for landcare principles in young farmers
  • awareness and understanding amongst young landcarers of the challenges and constraints of modern sustainable agricultural systems

The program was a huge success both in building relationships between young people working in natural resource management and young farmers and leaving a lasting impact on the students they both visited in terms of raising awareness and showcasing the wonderful partnerships that have being built over the last 25 years between farmers and landcarers to nurture our natural environment.

Whilst the current federal government has chosen not to continue with Caring for our Country funding  I know our Young Eco Champions are committed to ensuring the program has a lasting legacy and what better example than this initiative conceived by Young Eco Champion Megan Rowlatt that saw Megan take a team of young city people to visit and work on the family farm of  2014 Wool Young Farming Champion Tom Tourle

The story ……..

Young environmentalists have been smashing agricultural stereotypes through a recent partnership between two New South Wales Landcare groups, 600 kilometres apart.

Six Illawarra Youth Landcare volunteers travelled to Dubbo last month, through connections with the Little River Landcare group, to work on the Tourle family’s sixth generation 4450 hectare sheep property ‘Oxley Downs’.

The volunteers, from areas around Wollongong, Sydney and the US, came from backgrounds including university students and workers in mining, conservation, and education sectors, and say they all took away something special from the experience.

IYL Volunteers sit on the verandah of an old log cabin on the property

Megan and her team on the veranda of one of the historic log cabins on the property

Illawarra Youth Landcare group coordinator Megan Rowlatt, who has been working and volunteering in Landcare for more than six years, says the volunteers had their own preconceived ideas of what the farm experience would be like, “but what we actually got to experience was so much more.”

“The Tourle family openly welcomed us onto their property, they shared their vision for the farm and the environment, their challenges, their trials and errors, and their home,” Megan says.

Jenna, a volunteer from Wollongong, says, “The Tourles created a beautiful, positive image of how people are changing their land management and farming techniques to be as positive and environmentally friendly as possible.”

Volunteers with Scott Tourle hearing about cell grazing

Scott Tourle sharing the finer points of cell grazing with the Illawarra Youth Landcare Group

Self-described city-slicker Dustin from California, USA, says, “It was a pleasure to learn how the Tourles have immense respect for the land they have been working for generations, and I was impressed by their knowledge of the finest details regarding the land.”

Chris, from Wollongong, says, “The entire weekend was far beyond what I could have expected, from the knowledge shared, the interest in our own experience, the hospitality and genuine wanting to have us to understand and share their vision for the future has given an extremely positive outlook for the future of agriculture.”

Sydney girl Nicole says, “We also learnt a lot about land management and how challenging it can be. I have developed a great respect for farmers and the hard work that is put in, day in and day out.”

Emily, from Wollongong, says, “I was relieved to discover there are farmers out there who understand the value of ecosystem management and protection and who are actively working towards the betterment of the environment.”

IYL volunteers fencing

Young city people learn how to fence

Megan says she organised the trip because people from cities and urban areas are becoming increasingly disconnected from the environment and rural Australia.

“Thankyou to Little River Landcare and Scott, Liz and Sam for opening their home and providing such a welcoming environment so we could break down the barriers, debunk the stereotypes, and have these conversations.”

Illawarra Youth Landcare is a network of young volunteers who carry out a variety of activities in the Illawarra, NSW and beyond. The group’s aim is to introduce young people to the diversity of environmental management issues faced in Australia.

by Lynne Strong

Archibull wins the Event of the Year at Trangie Australia Day Awards!!

What a 48 hours the Archibull Prize has had

It started with an overwhelming response from primary schools to the call out for Expressions of Interest for the 2014 Archibull Prize in the Junior Landcare Newsletter

I am beginning to think school teachers work dairy farmers hours The emails started at 4 in the morning and continued till 11pm last night and started again at 5.30am this morning. How exciting to see schools so eager to be involved 

Then this – does it get any better than this –  The Archibull Prize has won the Event of the Year at Trangie Australia Day Awards!!

“The success of the project has been an enormous promotion of Trangie across the whole of Australia. It has absolutely put Trangie on the map!”

Archibull wins Event of the Year

Excerpt from the Narromine News

But wait there is more the Junior Citizen of the Year was Pat Skinner

Pat is a dedicated and enthusiastic participant in a wide range of activities. He is a fantastic team player and contributes 110 per cent in everything
with unfailing humour – Archibull Prize video, dancing schools
spectacular,  movie nights,
school band, discos for out of home care kids, and
is now a keen sailor.

Trangie Central School John Bull (27)

Patrick Skinner

Over the last 10 years Art4Agriculture has put me in the spotlight and I have been lucky enough to pick up some wonderful awards like the Bob Hawke Medal in 2012 which have provided a vehicle to open the door and spread the word about the great stories of our Australian farmers and their produce right to office of the Prime Minister and thanks to AWI and their Young Farming Champions – Prince Charles but I don’t think anything has given me more of a buzz than this

See and celebrated the 2013 Winners including this phenomenal effort from Trangie Central School here

by Lynne Strong

Judges visit the home of the Koalas

Day Ten of the Epic Archibull Judging Tour of 2013  and the last day! One last school to see before we can sleep for quite a while! We are back in country New South Wales and it is dry and HOT!

School Thirty Seven was Gunnedah High School

On a last rip to Gunnedah we met the dynamo that is Kate Mathieson who is very very committed to providing great agriculture experiences for her students and with the support of Cotton Australia was able to bring  the Archibull back to Gunnedah High School

Gunnedah High School Kapas (12)

This year the students have named their Archibull “Kapas”!  (Name derived from name of the unginned cotton or the white fibrous substance covering the seed that is obtained from the cotton plant.)

On one side of Kapas we see cotton before the harvest. In a clever collage made from cotton and about cotton, we see a pictorial timeline of the cotton plant’s growth. Underlying these images is the water, which is so essential to the industry. We also see the environmental factors which affect cotton growth, as well as what can be made from 1 bale of cotton.

Gunnedah High School Kapas (3)

On the other side, we see cotton after the harvest. We see its export to the world, its production, and the variety of ways that even the by-products of cotton can be used so that nothing is wasted.

Gunnedah High School Kapas (1)

On her neck and chest are multicoloured handprints of students from the school from years 6 to 12, parents and members of the community. These are present to show the importance of community to the cotton farming industry. On her rump and underneath is a collaged patchwork of unusual cotton fabrics which also represents the community which they live in. It is a patchwork of towns and paddocks. This is further reinforced by the logos of local cotton companies and producers on her udder, as well as the schools emblem and that of Cotton Australia.

 

Gunnedah High School Kapas (11)

A very big thankyou to all schools!

Thankyou for your beautiful work, for your enthusiasm, and for all the work you have put in. It is appreciated and truly wonderful. We hope you have enjoyed the programme and learnt something.

You can see all the finalists here

by Lynne Strong

Judges visit the Beef Capital

Day Nine of the Epic Archibull Judging Tour of 2013 saw us thoroughly exhausted, we are in Rockhampton now. It is a beautiful day and we are ready to continue our judging at Rockhampton Regional Library. What an amazing building that is

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School Thirty Five was Rockhampton State High School

“Archi” literally tells this schools beef story!

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It is written clearly on her side so that everyone knows exactly what she is saying and what she stands for. It works well, and was very popular with the library patrons.

Rocky High Story of Beef

On the other side of “Archi”, the story centres on the unique beef supply chain. This story, rather than being told through words, is told through imagery and the tactile surface of the collage. The beef story starts with a timeline starting with cattle on the farm and:

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“progresses into the 3d representation of grain paddocks and truck transportation. The production part of the story ends at the abattoir where the cattle are processed.”

The imagery connects well with the story on the other side and creates a nice balance of writing, images and 3dimensional features.

On Archi’s grassy green base and legs are the subtle handprints and names of the students that contributed to the creation of this clever Archibull.

by Lynne Strong

4500km to finish and two states to go

As you can imagine after travelling 4500km and then having to collate all the points for the big day I got a little behind sharing all the highlights from the schools.

So its time to bring you up to date Days 7 to 10 saw us tackle another two states

School Thirty One was Theodore Primary School

“Archicotton” is very special to the children of Theodore Primary who created her. She has ventured everywhere around the school and has even had tea with the principal! A very sociable Archie!

Theodore ACT (121)

Theodore ACT (149)

Theodore PS P1030560

She takes the form of a model on the catwalk – smooth and perfect skin, beautiful long eyelashes, sparkles on her feet, and plenty of bling!

However, it is her amazing coat of many colours which is her most beautiful feature.

Theodore PS P1040026

Not only does it stand out visually and contrast beautifully with her ebony skin, but it also tells us alot about the cotton industry in Australia. It is a precise patchwork made from a variety of richly coloured cotton fabrics.

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The coat has then been cleverly collaged with a variety of cotton facts and imagery. The patches and images have then been outlined with multicoloured Jewels (perfect for any model!)

Theodore PS P1040026

This coat, and the fact that it is removable, will allow the whole school (including the Pre-school), to play with and learn from Archicotton- both as a cow and as a representative of the cotton industry. Well Done!

 

Day Eight of the Epic Archibull Judging Tour of 2013 saw us fly to Brisbane to tackle our third state in three days!

School Thirty Two was Bulimba State Primary School

“Giselle la Mucca” is as bright as a button!

Bulimba State School (14)

She is unusual and interesting and incredibly tactile. Made from an interesting combination of painted finishes and photo and button collages, it is her tactile surface that really stands out.

“We liked how the buttons have different textures and we want people to touch it.”

Bulimba State School (4)

The button collage of hundreds of buttons, is reminiscent of Aboriginal dot painting. Its subtlety and intricate patterning gives a beautiful depth to the colouring.

She tells the story from city to farm:

Bulimba State School (10)

“the city side demonstrates events and places that are important to us, River Fire, the Storey Bridge and the city skyline. These are all things we see from our school. We used bright colours on the country side as we felt that the country was ‘fresh’ and ‘full of life’ while the city is not so bright during the day but at night has lots of lights on in the buildings.”

Bulimba State School (12)

by Lynne Strong

Selling the farm

selling the farm

Thinking about a career in agriculture or thinking about showcasing a career in agriculture by sharing your story?  Well we have the perfect vehicle for you

Art4Agriculture Young Farming Champions

One of the great outcomes each year when we review the Archibull Prize Exit surveys is to see how much impact our Young Farming Champions have on the students and teachers.

Part of the program connects schools with Young Farming Champions – who are based all over the state (some in and around capital cities) and have found their way into agriculture through many different and interesting avenues.

This year alone we have agronomists, meat marketers, cotton growers, wool classers and auctioneers, wool producers, veterinarians,  dairy farmers, beef producers and grazing land management officers… to name a few! And they all love talking about their jobs. You can read a little more about them here

We ask the students participating in the Archibull Prize the questions “Do you think agriculture is interesting?” and ‘Do you think agriculture is a good career choice for a young person?’ and the results are a resounding yes

Expressions of interest are now being called for the 2014 Young Farming Champion!

Art4Agriculture’s Young Farming Champions program for 2014 will train a team of 12 young farmers from regional Australia to actively engage with students in their local schools. The student groups will enter their project work to win the ‘Archibull Prize’.

Our Young Farming Champions will also have the opportunity to participate in a comprehensive and diverse array of initiatives offered by our supporting partners. These events will provide a platform from which to develop, build and strengthen the capacity of the Young Farming Champions and allow primary industries to develop key farmer-to-stakeholder and farmer-to-consumer relationships.

Through their involvement in Art4Agriculture school programs our Young Farming Champions will be able to directly market their food or fibre industry and its diverse career pathways to a captive and relevant audience.

The legacy of the Young Farming Champions program is to create an Australia wide network of enthusiastic young professionals and build their capacity to promote Australian agriculture as a dynamic, innovative, rewarding and vibrant industry.

The program connects young people from different food and fibre industries. They get to see their similarities, they find common ground, they realise each has issues that are just as challenging, and they learn how they can help each other.

They see the agricultural community can be designed by their choices. They see the future is not out there; it’s not happening to us – we’re the creators.

If this is you email me Lynnestrong@art4agriculture.com.au for an Expression of Interest Form or read me here

by Lynne Strong

The 2013 Grand Champion Archibull Prize winner is

 

Its now time to reveal the Winner of the Grand Champion Archibull for 2013

 

The judges have travelled over 4500km to talk to the students and view their artwork. They have spent 1000’s of hours reading blogs and reviewing PowerPoint and video entries and now the points have been collated.

 

The awards venue has been found, the finalists have been announced, the herd rounded up and loaded, invitations sent, community fund raising events have been held to fly rural students to Sydney, Young Farming Champions have packed their bags to take the road trip, special guests will be there and tension is mounting    .

 

Now in the spirit of building that tension even further before we make the big announcement lets take a quick reflection on why it all began

 

Everybody has to eat, everybody needs to wear clothes, everybody needs to have shelter. Yet like many other people around the world Australians tend to give very little thought to the origins of where our food and fibre comes from let alone the people who grow and produce it.

 

As passionate producers and loud and proud producer AGvocates the team at Art4Agriculture found this sad but also exciting.

We saw this disconnect as a great opportunity to jump in and join the next generation mosh pit of bright minds and ideas for unbridled thinking and questioning and come up with new ways of having powerful conversations and forging new boundary-busting connections between producers and consumers.

 

What better way to do this than tap into areas that agriculture wouldn’t normally reach through art and multimedia and leverage off Australia’s most famous art prize

 

Hence the Archibull Prize was born.

 

Each year the Archibull Prize Awards and Exhibition Ceremony brings bright young Australian minds and their big ideas together to share agriculture’s story through art and multimedia

 

Each year the ideas get bigger, the innovation seems apparently unparalleled and the technology mind-blowing

 

Without further ado it gives Art4Agriculture great pleasure to introduce the winners in all three categories and the Grand Champion Archibull for 2013

 

1.The  Champion Primary School Archibull Prize Winner is Gwynneville Public School Gwyneville Public School with Claudia Whythes-001l

The Gwynneville team with Claudia Wythes  from AWI

Gwynnevill PS

Gwynneville Public School, Wollongong  artwork entry Baa Baa Bovine

Visit their amazing blog Moo2Ewe

2. The Winner of Champion Archibull Prize (Program B) is Trangie Central School

Trangie Central School with Sara Leonardi McGrath

Trangie Central School with Sara McGrath

Trangie Central School

Trangie Central School with their artwork masterpiece combination of technology and innovation

Trangie Central School John Bull (30)

Visit the Trangie Central School blog here

Watch their video entry here

DRUM ROLL

The winner of the Champion Archibull Program A and the Grand Champion Archibull Prize for 2013 is Shoalhaven High School

Michael Bullen Sara McGrath Shoalhaven High School

Shoalhaven High School with A/G Director General of Department of Primary Industries Michael Bullen and Sara McGrath

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Visit the Shoalhaven High School Blog here

Watch their award winning video here

To view the event video and see all the action

Once we have all the official photos we will load all the results

Congratulations to all the schools and students involved you have all done agriculture very proud

Some great pix by Sally White from The Land can be found here’

To see the winner of the People’s Pick visit here

by Lynne Strong

Pick the winner of the 2013 Archibull Prize

The big day is tomorrow for all our finalists involved in the 2013 Archibull Prize.

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14 Schools have been selected based on their artwork to send their cows the Awards and Exhibition ceremony

Now its time for the Peoples Pick.

Who will you chose to win the 2013 Archibull Prize

Click on the pictures to see the cows in full glory 

 

by Lynne Strong

Whole of community involvement at Boorowa Central School makes a great story as part of day 7 of Archibull Prize 2013 judging journey

Day 7 took us from Junee to Boorowa and School’s Twenty Nine and Thirty with Boorowa Central School (Primary) first up

“Patchetta” is bold and colourful and tells a wonderful story about wool.

Boorowa (12)

She has multi coloured ‘patches’ with images and information which is relevant to various sectors of the wool industry in Australia. The content of these sectors was driven by the research groups that the class was divided into. These sectors included: What can wool be made into; Different types of wool; A photo collage; A timeline of the wool industry in Australia; Shearing tools; Different places that sell wool; Fleecy and Woolly facts; and Scarf felting.

Boorowa (16)

Each group did their research work, and then designed their own ‘patch’ on “Patchetta” to tell their story. The combination of these patched stories gives a wonderfully complete picture of the wool industry.

Boorowa (32)

The felted scarf is colourful, beautiful and very well made! The perfect accessory!

Next up was School Thirty: Boorowa Central School (Secondary)

“Archibella Milkshake Boo” very much has her own personality. Her unusual name was the result of suggestions from the school community. “Archibella” (because she is a female Archibull!) and “Milkshake” were the two favourite names chosen by the school, and “Boo” stands for Boorowa.

Boorowa (40)

Her personality shines through everything on her, but particularly is reflected through her makeup and the flamboyant socks (from Crookwell), her scarf and her horn decorations.

This school took a unique approach to their Archie:

“though our fibre was wool, we decided to tell our wool story with the assistance of the beef meat cuts, to translate the connection between the cow canvas and the fibre we were allocated. In the various cuts of meat, the Boorowa Central Archibull team translated their interpretation of what wool meant to the township of Boorowa.”

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