Students from all corners of Collie Senior High School recently came together to test their creative skills in The Smith Family SmArts Art Enrichment program.
The program, which has been shown to boost student creativity and engagement in learning, saw 16 students create a canvas inspired by Aboriginal art.
Year 8 student Lachlan Stephens presented the finished piece to visitors and explained how the it came about.
"We had to trace our hand and we put inside that what meant the most to us, or if you had a significant memory, create that inside the hand print," he said.
"I really enjoyed the program and I'm pretty sure we all did.
"The reason I came is because I just love doing art and being creative. I think it takes a lot of courage to be creative and draw what you feel and love."
Among the dragon-filled, flowered and toucan hand prints, the canvas featured important symbols to the students, including McDonalds and Vans logos, flora and fauna, music and phrases of inspiration.
Indigenous artists Seantelle Walsh facilitated the program and said the use of art as a medium of self expression allowed the students to come together and develop as a group, despite the fact they did not know each other previously.
"The whole concept is about self expression," she said.
"Their mark represents themselves, their identify and expresses who they are and it is then linked to the community represented as a campfire in the piece."
