By Lucy Waldron
Warwick West State School and Stanthorpe State High School are joining the major milestone year for Queensland’s arts education scene with the 144 schools participating in Creative Generation.
Celebrating 20 years of Creative Generation – State Schools Onstage (CGEN) and 30 years of the Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art exhibition, the Department of Education marks these significant anniversaries with pride and enthusiasm.
Education Minister Di Farmer said these programs celebrate the diversity of the students, schools and communities right across Queensland.
“I am excited to be a part of these two outstanding programs in this milestone year,” Ms Farmer said.
Creative Generation – State Schools Onstage (CGEN) is Queensland’s largest annual award-winning youth performing arts event.
This year’s program will feature its largest cast to date, with more than 2500 state school students participating from 144 schools across Queensland.
Arts coordinator at Warwick West State School Jo Bryant, who organised the school’s entry, said students could not be more excited to take part.
“Kids are super excited to be apart of such a large scale production and looking forward to mixing with students from all over the state,“ Ms Bryant said.
“We will be part of a massed choir with over 1000 voices performing at the Brisbane Convention centre,“ she said.
“Our students will be either involved in the choir and also as a soloist or part of a duet.“
The CGEN spectacle promises to be nothing short of breathtaking, featuring a 500-voice choir, a 70-piece symphony orchestra, 1000 dancers, vocalists, drama students, drumline, musicians, and student stage and media crews. Moreover, the program offers invaluable learning opportunities for students to engage directly with professional artists.
From Kindergarten to Year 12, students from all corners of Queensland participate in this six-month program.
The program encompasses an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance program, a 109-student Auslan signing choir, a Special School dance ensemble, and even a Kindergarten cast, showcasing the inclusivity and diversity of Queensland’s youth.
The culmination of the program will be four spectacular performances at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on 18, 19, 20 July 2024.
“This much loved and importing performing arts event was one of the first things cut by the former Newman LNP government,” Minister Farmer said.
“If not for a wave of community outrage this important arts event for students from all across the state would not still be going today celebrating such a huge milestone in 2024.”
Meanwhile, the Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art has been a cornerstone of Queensland’s visual arts education for three decades. With over 13,000 works submitted and displayed in regional galleries and venues, the awards have raised awareness of the sophistication and high standards of visual art education in Queensland secondary schools.
The Central Exhibition at the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) will showcase 37 works by the 2023 Excellence Award winners, running from 27 April to 25 August 2024.
Warwick West State School principal Kath Wenban said she was proud and excited to support students participating “in such a highly regarded focus on music and the arts“.
“I am grateful for the support of our parents, the school community and the wider community to enable students from a regional centre to access this wonderful opportunity,“ Ms Wenban said.
“A big shout out to Mrs Joanne Bryant, teacher from Warwick West State School, for her hard work in organising and developing the school’s entry.“
