Colston Bassett Primary School takes second place in international art competition

Colston Bassett Primary School shone above 4,500 schoolchildren from 15 countries in this year’s Global Canvas Art Competition.

Pupils had to produce an imaginative mini-exhibition using various creative media, including artwork, sculpture and poetry using the theme ‘Into the Wild.’

The competition is part of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation’s (DSWF) Art for Survival programme and aims to encourage young people to express their concern for the environment using art.

Entries were received from the UK, Columbia, Russia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, amongst others.

The final was held at the Natural History Museum, London. The entries were judged by CBeebies ‘Minibeast Adventure with Jess’ presenter, Jess French, sponsors Michael O’Mara books and DSWF’s chief executive, Karen Botha.

For the children at Colston Bassett Primary School it was a whole-school effort and they worked collaboratively to construct their artwork from waste material collected from their homes.

The children chose to particularly focus on plastic and its polluting and harmful effects on wildlife and the environment.

Their artwork was complemented by a poetry tree constructed from poems and Haikus written about the importance of conservation and the impact of human activity on endangered species and their habitats.

All wrote a presentation that concluded with the message that our household waste can be recycled into something beautiful and, by ‘recycling, reusing and reducing,’ we can all help ‘save our planet earth.’

The judges loved the children’s entry and commended them on their beautiful and colourful design and imaginative use of materials. They were also impressed by the inclusive approach.

The school’s art teacher, Kate Prince, said: “We are all delighted and thrilled to receive second place in this wonderful competition; we were up against some extremely impressive talent.

“The children all worked extremely hard on our entry and took to heart to the current message that we all need to act on plastic pollution.

“Everyone loved their visit to the Natural History Museum and enjoyed hearing about the important work carried out by the DSWF.

“We can’t wait to enter again in 2019!”