Scoop Culture

Hamilton Student Takes Out Top Prize

Saturday, 3 July 2010, 1:29 pm
Press Release: Waikato District Health Board

Hamilton student Julia King took out the prestigious first prize at the annual Transfusion art awards in Hamilton tonight with her Ohiwa Dunes oil landscape painting.

But the 17-year-old Hillcrest High School student was almost too tired to take it all in when the announcement was made at Waikato Museum at the opening of a month-long exhibition of Waikato students' work.

She'd been up studying late and that, coupled with the shock of winning a $3000 scholarship to Wintec, made for an emotional evening for the talented teenager.

Hamilton Boys’ High School won the competition’s overall school prize as well as five highly commended ratings. All 120 pieces of art are donated to Waikato District Health Board to hang in its hospitals.

Judges were Tim Croucher (Wintec School of Media Arts), Alison Ewing (Kate Alison Arts Consultants) and Dr Carole Shepheard (former professor of Elam School of Art).

Full list of results http://www.waikatodhb.govt.nz/news/pageid/2145861391/Transfusion_exhibition_opening_night or attached

Health Waikato chief operating officer Jan Adams said the student artwork that already hung in Waikato Hospital brought much pleasure to many people.

"Often when people come to hospital to visit, they're stressed and seeing art done by the region's talented young artists lifts their spirits," she said.

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Many of last year's entries now hang in a refurbished Ward 26, now a children's surgical ward.

"I know those paintings bring a lot of pleasure to the children, whanau and the staff in that ward," said Mrs Adams.

In 2004 Hamilton Boys’ High School and Waikato DHB non-clinical services manager Brenda Peters set up the initiative to create art-for-hospital with Boys’ High art students creating works for Waikato Hospital.

The competition gives year 12 and 13 art students from throughout the Waikato the chance to donate their work to Health Waikato hospitals, as well as compete amongst their peers.

Mrs Peters said student artwork had been a highlight of her very varied role with Waikato DHB and that her favourite piece of student artwork is a Ray Charles painting, done by David Pickett from Hamilton Boys’ High School in 2006.

David Pickett went on to study at Elam School of Fine Arts, graduating in 2009.

In the past six years Boys’ High students have donated hundreds of paintings to Waikato Hospital.

Last year however, the school and Waikato DHB teamed up with the Waikato Museum and Wintec to extend the opportunity further to include all secondary schools within the Waikato DHB region, creating the Transfusion competition.

As a result, there has been a great increase in participation from schools; including, Huntly, Tokoroa, Te Awamutu, Raglan and other Hamilton schools.

“By donating artwork to the hospital, young artists can be assured of public appreciation of their work,” said project manager and Hamilton Boys’ High School head of art James Sutherland.

“For everybody involved, it is a great way to give something positive, tangible and lasting to the community, and we can feel a great sense of pride when walking through the corridors of the hospital and seeing the works.”

The works are displayed at Waikato Museum, and following the exhibition they will be donated to Waikato DHB and displayed throughout Health Waikato hospitals.

The exhibition opened at Waikato Museum tonight and continues until 6 August

ENDS

Waikato District Health Board

Healthy People. Excellent Care

Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.