2020 Young Artists Awards and Exhibition
The Sunshine Coast Arts Council supports the young artists in our community. The annual Young Artists Awards and Exhibition, which was initiated in 1988, features work created by local artists aged 5 to 18 who love to be creative at home and are working on their art independently of school. Over the years, we have seen our participants in these exhibitions go on to higher education and careers in the arts. The Young Artists Awards and Exhibition is judged by a panel of working artists who feel passionate about encouraging creativity in young people. We give thanks to our sponsors, the Rotary Club of Sechelt, Opus Art Supplies, and the Gibsons School of the Arts, for their ongoing support of the Young Artists Awards and Exhibition.
Banner Project
The Cowrie Street Banner Project began in 1994 as a joint venture between the Sechelt Chamber of Commerce and the Sunshine Coast Arts Council. In approximately 2003, the priorities of the Chamber of Commerce changed, and the project is now sponsored entirely by the Sunshine Coast Arts Council. From 1994–2014 the banners decorated Sechelt’s Cowrie and Wharf streets. As of 2014, the banners are hung in Sechelt’s Civic Square creating their own outdoor gallery.
From the time that the theme for the year’s banner is decided upon in September to the hanging of the banners in February there are a number of steps and variety of people involved. After the theme for the current year is chosen, elementary school students are asked to submit a design. Total entries from the various schools usually range from 300–500.
After all the entries are received, they are put on exhibition in the gallery of the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre for three weeks in conjunction with the Young Artists Awards exhibition. A committee selects the 20 finalists, and those selected are honoured with a certificate of appreciation. Each of the chosen designs is then projected, traced and hand painted onto a 6-foot length of fabric by volunteer artists. The banners hang from February to November in Civic Square.