This year’s theme, My Museum, My Art, encourages students to discover and express what the National Museum in Bloemfontein means to them. The aim is to inspire works of art that are personal, meaningful and rooted in individual interpretations of heritage and creativity.
The closing date for entries is Friday 28th August at 3pm and the organizers have confirmed that late entries will not be accepted.
Participants are invited to go beyond the physical building and reflect on the stories, memories, objects, experiences and imagination associated with the museum.
To assist participants, an information day will be held at the National Museum at 36 Aliwal Street on Friday, June 19 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
“We encourage young artists to show what the museum means to them through art, their own creativity and imagination,” says Carien van Eck, creative representative of the Bloemfontein National Museum.
“The competition gives young people a platform to express how they experience and interpret cultural spaces through art. The competition is open to students aged five to 19, and there are fantastic prizes to be won in our three age categories.”
The competition is divided into three categories: Category A (five to nine years), Category B (ten to 14 years) and Category C (15 to 19 years). Prizes will be awarded for each category and selected finalists will be invited to an official awards ceremony where the winners will be announced and celebrated.
The initiative continues the museum’s ongoing commitment to youth development and creative education. Last year the competition was part of the Youth Month celebrations under the theme Made with Plastic, where students were encouraged to think about environmental issues, particularly plastic pollution and its impact on wildlife.
That edition of the competition challenged students to rethink the use of plastic and consider solutions to environmental challenges through creative expression.
The students were encouraged to use their artwork to spark a dialogue about responsibility, sustainability and the protection of natural ecosystems, reinforcing the idea that young people play a crucial role in shaping environmental consciousness.
Registration forms are also possible downloaded from the museum’s website.
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