AN art set received as a Christmas gift sparked the creative spirit in a Hume Central Secondary College student who has had her work showcased in an exhibition at RMIT.
Year 9 student Aurhi covered her bedroom with paintings after receiving the present, and encouraged her two sisters to join in what became a family project.
“Mum shows off our painting wall to visitors and they all compliment it and say ‘keep going’,” Aurhi said.
She is one of 30 students from the Hume school and the Wyndham Central Secondary College to take part in the Smith Family program SmArts. The program allows year 9 and 10 students to develop creative skills in intensive workshops with RMIT University staff, and they had their artwork displayed at the university’s city campus last week.
“I’ve enjoyed getting a chance to experience this university and the opportunities to do with art,” Aurhi said.
Although she plans to be a dentist, she intends keeping her passion for art alive.
Another Hume year 9 student, Chinar, used the workshop to hone her skills in artwork for video games.
“Giving students the opportunity to take part in creative activities like SmArts helps them build self-confidence, develop their social skills, explore and understand career options before choosing VCE subjects,” the charity’s general manager Anton Leschen said.
RMIT’s manager of equity and diversity, Milly Fels, said: “The mini-tertiary experiences students have through the SmArts program gives them a taste of uni life as well as showing them the diversity of career opportunities across the design and creative industries.”
