Jacinta spreads her wings at the art gallery

By Jen Gourley

WHEN art is your great love, having the opportunity to do a week’s work experience at an art gallery is a dream come true.

Jacinta Bennett, a Year 10 student at Redeemer Lutheran College, Biloela, spent last week getting an authentic brush with the art world, helping to curate a new exhibition at the Banana Shire Regional Art Gallery.

Guided by Council’s Arts & Cultural Advisor, Robert Connell, Jacinta’s work on the Discarded Symphonies exhibition by Nora Hanasy included helping place and hang the artwork, arranging lighting, painting and other tasks, all in readiness for the opening night on Saturday. She even helped repair one of the pieces of art that needed a little TLC.

“It was really fun,” Jacinta said with a smile. “I learned lots and had fun telling Rob where stuff should go. And just learning about how everything works in here.”

Jacinta’s week of work experience was organised to coincide with the curating of the new exhibition, and Robert was delighted to have the assistance of the keen high school student.

“I’ve loved it,” Robert said. “It’s been amazing to have a young protege around. An extra pair of hands, and it’s always good to have a second eye.”

He explained that curating a show like Discarded Symphonies came with its own set of challenges – it’s not just straightforward paintings to hang, instead it consists of an assortment of wildly different objects, many made from discarded musical instruments.

“Sometimes you can struggle with trying for placement,” he said. “So, it was such a privilege to have Jacinta here to be able to help curate, and I’m happy to say that about half of the works that are curated in the show are actually from her hand and her eye. When I was getting, maybe, a little, ‘Oh, I’m not sure where to put this’, Jacinta said, ‘Why don’t we put these two together and put them on the wall over there?’ And I just went, ‘Oh, yeah, no, that’s it. That’s it.’ So, it’s been great for that.”

Jacinta’s favourite piece in Discarded Symphonies is “Songs of the Blue Mountain”.

If you would like to see it for yourself and all the other amazing artwork, the exhibition runs until April 28, with two weekend viewing sessions on Saturday, March 19 and Saturday, April 16.

www.banana.qld.gov.au/artgallery