The Wellness Planting | A sculpture created by the children of Huapai District School. A series of discussions with the students about the significance of seeds and how all things grow and change. Using discarded New Zealand coarse wool cut into the shapes of seeds, the students ‘planted’ the seeds of wellness for the school community and beyond.
Students of Huapai District School and Mette Hay 2017
I Wish | A mural created for kids by kids. KidsXpress is an organisation that helps children that are experiencing emotional trauma. Through the use of creative therapy; music, drama, dance and visual art, the program endeavours to empower the children with resilience, confidence and fun. In 2015, a group of young girls from a sponsoring school, SCEGGS, came to KidsXpress for the day to create this mural . The day was spent painting the mural background and drawing what they would wish for someone other than themselves. Areas of the mural are painted in chalkboard paint which encourages the program children to express themselves and contribute their own thoughts to the mural painting.
Flourish | A mural created with the young students of Bondi Public School in Bondi, Australia exploring the beauty of Australia’s native flora and fauna. I started a year long voluntary art program to support creativity in the school. Throughout the school year of 2010, over 120 children drew, painted and sculpted the creatures and environments of their land. The drawings were then used to created the ‘Flourish’ mural with the students down by their kitchen garden. A fund raising dinner for the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program was organised where the students work was used as decoration for the dinner as well as to create the menu. A way to demonstrate that everyone is creative and for young students it isn’t just about drawing rainbows and butterflies.