2021 Watershed art prize winners announced
Creative depictions of sustainability using a range of expressive mediums have been recognised with the announcement of the 2021 Watershed Creative Prize recipients.
The City of Salisbury’s annual art competition was this year expanded to encompass not only traditional pieces, but those using written and emerging technological formats.
The winners of each category were announced on Friday evening, with artists invited to attend to view the finalist works on display at the John Harvey Community Hall, Salisbury Community Hub.
Mayor Gillian Aldridge OAM said the expansion of categories in this year’s Prize had allowed more creative artists to enter, with winning formats including paintings, poetry and short story, video and song.
The Watershed Creative Prize has always been an exciting avenue for artists to depict what sustainability means to them.
This year the Prize extended beyond the visual, with a pleasing quality of entries into the emerging and written categories which we hope will only continue to grow next year.
The winners include:
Category: TRADITIONAL
First Prize: Rejuvenation (painting)
Artist: Andrea Louis
“The work is based around the spirit of regeneration with the image of the bird watching over, but caught between the idea of hope in terms of restoring our natural environment and the things we are doing to make life difficult for animals and bird life,” Andrea said.
“I believe it is important that all people interpret art as it appears to them. Art is something that evokes different feelings within people.
“Sustainability is so important and if we don’t have initiatives such as the wetlands and recycling programs and if we aren’t careful in how we use the resources we have then we will suffer. I believe that people are more aware of this than ever and that we all just need to do our bit towards protecting and regenerating our environment.”
Runner Up: Bee Diversity
Artist: Kathleen Knight
Special Mention: Life Saving Burn Off
Artist: Dylan Cotton
Editor's Choice: At Home Among the Gumtrees
Artist: Carol Scholich
Category: WRITTEN
First Prize: Sustainability (poem)
Artist: Jean Bates
“Sustainability is a topic that came easily to me to write about. I am concerned, particularly being a grandmother, about legacy we leave behind and ensuring it is one worth leaving for our future generations” Jean said.
Runner Up: The End
Artist: Anita May
Category: EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
First Prize: Dry Creek (augmented reality)
Artist: Susan O’Malley
This piece was submitted on behalf of a group of students at St Paul’s College, Gilles Plains and formed part of work created via the Catholic Education SA STEM XR Challenge.
“This project took on a sustainability-incorporated augmented reality exploration of Dry Creek,” Susan said.
“The students got a lot out of the program and are very aware of the importance of sustaining our environment.”
Runner Up: Concerto for a Little Stream
Artist: Chuyau (Titlia) Liu
Category: EMERGING YOUTH CREATIVE ART PRIZE
First Prize: Sustainability at home (painting)
Artist: Shreyan Golla
Category: MAYOR AWARD
First Prize: Fire Path
Artist: David Taylor
“Environmental issues are very important to me,” said David, who had decided he wanted to be an artist by age four.
“As well as painting, I do a lot of writing about environmental issues and in 2019 I won a Banjo Patterson Award.”
David constructed Fire Path on a black canvas, which made for a striking contrast between the colours representing the different elements (red-fire, yellow-air, blue-water and green-earth), as well as allowing for the work to be interpreted as either night or day.
The artworks will be on public display at the John Harvey Community Gallery (34 Church Street, Salisbury) until 16 June.