Primary Picassos Shine at Assembly Art Awards

Parliament Buildings was a sea of laughter and colour on Friday 30 March, when 22 pupils from local primary schools gathered in the Great Hall to take part in the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Art Competition Awards event.

The competition, which was launched in January 2012, called on budding Picassos enrolled in primary schools across Northern Ireland to submit an original drawing or painting based on one of two themes: ‘Remembering the Titanic’ or ‘My World’.

A staggering 2,500 entries were received with the lucky winners chosen from across all five Education and Library Boards.

Speaking after the Awards ceremony the Principal Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Mr Francie Molloy MLA said: “It has been a tremendous honour to be here today and to have had the opportunity to meet so many vibrant and creative young people. We were absolutely astounded to receive over 2,000 entries to the competition, the first of its kind organised by the Assembly. The standard and the level of skill and creativity produced by our local pupils has been beyond compare and certainly made the job of the judging panel very difficult indeed.

“In recent months, we have used the Great Hall at Parliament Buildings to showcase a number of works of art to visitors, guests and politicians alike. We are delighted to be able to add to this by exhibiting the winning art from this competition which will remain on display until Friday 27 April 2012. Parliament Buildings belongs to everyone and what better way to get this message across than to display the art created by our local children.”

Also present at today’s event was Conor Shields, Programme Director at the Community Arts Partnership: “We were delighted to work with the Northern Ireland Assembly on developing and supporting this very worthwhile project and assisting our young artists of the future. Our work takes us to schools and communities right across Northern Ireland and we have the pleasure of seeing how art can work to transform lives.

“Having art on display in Parliament Buildings, symbolises the resonance it has for all of us and how creativity should be at the heart of everything we do”.     

As part of today’s Awards Event, young people worked collaboratively with top local artists from the Community Arts Partnership to create two unique willow sculptures, which will also go on display in the Great Hall at Parliament Buildings.

ENDS