Students showcase their talents in first Indigenous Youth Art Competition

Young Indigenous artists from across North Queensland have been recognised for their outstanding efforts in Northern Queensland Primary Health Network’s (NQPHN’s) inaugural Indigenous Youth Art Competition.

The competition—based on the theme of ‘health care and wellbeing in our communities’—saw some inspirational artwork submitted by young and upcoming local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander artists between the ages of 13–21 years.

There were a range of incredible submissions from gifted young artists, resulting in three first place winners. The winners each received an Apple iPad Pro 10.5” 64GB Wi-Fi and Apple Pencil, valued at $1,000 each.

Among the many entrants, the well-deserving 2018 winners were:

Aboriginal artwork:

• Joint winners: Jasmine Grogan (Mareeba State High School) and Wudarabin Snider (Cooktown State High School)
• Second place: Danae Hastie (Mareeba State High School)
• Third place: Jalene Gordon (Innisfail)

Torres Strait Islander artwork:

• Winner: Shanaye Bevan (Cooktown State High School)
• Second place: Euwanae Mairu (Herberton)
• Third place: Jai-Lahni Clumpoint (Townsville)

NQPHN Chief Executive Officer John Gregg said this new initiative, created by the NQPHN Board, was an excellent opportunity to recognise young, talented Indigenous artists across North Queensland.

“NQPHN is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within our region,” Mr Gregg said.

“The competition is part of NQPHN’s commitment to support Indigenous youth, and a meaningful pathway towards inclusion of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.”

Jasmine Grogan from Mareeba and Wudarabin Snider from Cooktown took out first place in the Aboriginal artwork category for their beautifully illustrated Aboriginal artwork pieces.

Jasmine, 17, said that her painting told the story of how the turtles swim through the ocean to reach their remembered destination and lay eggs.

“My grandma is my mentor for my paintings,” Jasmine said.

“Just like the turtles do, we need to look after our families.”

Wudarabin, 13, called her artwork The wellbeing of my culture, and said that it told the story of her people hunting in the ocean.

“My painting shows how our people hunt to gather food for our family to ensure good health and wellbeing,” Wudarabin said.

“My country is Kuku Yalanji and my artwork shows Aboriginal artefacts that keep us healthy within our mind, spirit, and culture.”

Watch Wudarabin’s video submission at www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qM9hiF4Ess

Shanaye Bevan from Cooktown secured first place in the Torres Strait Islander artwork category, with her painting portraying the health and wellbeing of Indigenous people and their families.

The 17-year-old said that her artwork featured illustrations of what she sees as important to Indigenous health.

“My painting depicts a family living off the land,” Shanaye said.

“Particularly the coast from my Islander background, where turtle, fish, and squid are our traditional foods that keep us healthy.”

Watch Shanaye’s video submission at www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfQwxmOcrkU

Read more about the winning artists and see their artwork featured in NQPHN’s Annual Report 2017-18.

To learn more about all the entrants and their artwork pieces, watch this short video.