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Monday, 10 April 2006

Nobel laureate Professor JM (John) Coetzee announced the winners of a special visual art prize at an exhibition of tertiary student artists from across Australia on Monday, 10 April.

The presentation was made at the University Futures conference of Commonwealth university heads being held at the University of Adelaide.

Professor Coetzee, who won the 2003 Nobel Prize for literature and is an Honorary Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Adelaide's Discipline of English, presented the Association of Commonwealth Universities prize of $5000 to Adelaide Central School of Art (affiliated with Flinders University) master's student Lauryn Arnott for her work `Journey Home ', and the $3000 University of Adelaide runner-up prize to Donna Bailey, PhD student at La Trobe University, for `The Ideal'.

Thirty-one artworks were selected for the exhibition by a panel of judges from 64 entries. The exhibition - A Place in the World - is being shown in Bonython Hall until 13 April. There also will be a `People's Choice' winning $500. Visitors, students and staff are encouraged to see the exhibition and lodge their vote.

The entrants were asked to create a work of art that reflected the personal or cultural complexities of life in Australia or New Zealand, host countries for the conference. The artworks range from paintings, photography to digital media and textiles.

University of Adelaide Art and Heritage Collections Manager Mirna Heruc said: "Visual arts and other cultural activities with universities play an important role in their interaction with the broader community. Such activities have a significant impact on the social and cultural capital of society. The enthusiasm and variety of artworks is stunning and will give viewers an insight into the way in which we perceive our own place in the world."

The competition judges were Art Gallery of South Australia Director, Christopher Menz; artist and Head of School, Adelaide Central School of Art, Associate Professor Rod Taylor; artist and lecturer at University of Wollongong, Jacky Redgate; Association of Commonwealth Universities Secretary General, Dr John Rowett; with University of Adelaide Vice-Chancellor, Professor James McWha and Art and Heritage Collections Manager, Mirna Heruc.