Gallery l GOTAFE Sk8 of Art exhibition at Stellar Coffee

This was the message that GOTAFE trainer and assessor for art and design Jan Donaldson received (and hoped her students received) after more than a hundred people gathered at Stellar Coffee in Shepparton to celebrate her student’s work.

Sk8 of Art is an exhibition of student work from GOTAFE’s Certificate III in Design Fundamentals and Certificate IV in Design.

The students range from 16-year-olds in high school to mature-age students.

They were tasked with creating artwork on a skateboard deck, with little to no guidance on what to do or how to do it.

Ms Donaldson said the open design brief initially left the students a little frustrated and lost on where to start.

But now, after all 30 plus of her students have submitted their work, it’s paid dividends.

“They each brought their own voice,” Ms Donaldson said.

“They’re (the artworks) all so different and such an expression of each student.”

The students had about two and a half months to create their skate artwork, and the project culminated in a presentation at Stellar Coffee on Wednesday, September 13.

Ms Donaldson said she was so proud of the students and that it was a fantastic night, with friends and family coming to support them.

She heaped praise on Matt Kington, owner of Stellar, for going “above and beyond” and making it a charming evening for all involved.

“In a struggling world where it’s so easy to see the negative, there were so many wonderful people involved in this to make it so special,” Ms Donaldson said.

“The support has just been amazing.”

The exhibition will be running at Stellar Coffee until October 14.