HOW to make a scarecrow? That was one class especially enjoyable for grade 5 pupils at Eastbourne Primary School.
Red Hill artist Michael Leeworthy was at the Rosebud West school as part of the Mornington Peninsula Hinterland Scarecrow Festival and Trail.
“Scarecrow making takes pupils away from the digital world into craft making and gets them to use their imaginations and work with others,” he said.
Leeworthy is visiting eight peninsula schools and kindergartens as part of an artist-in-residence program. Showing the pupils two ways of making a scarecrow he sensibly kept the details simple.
In his kit was a scarecrow body template he had sewn up beforehand, and the pupils were shown how to use recyclable materials where possible and give it “personality”.
As well as working with traditional scarecrows, the Eastbourne pupils are planning to build a themed Aussie icon “Vegemite on toast” art installation.
They have also got their eye on the prize for Best School or Kindergarten Scarecrow and hope to win class entry to the Enchanted Adventure Maze at Arthurs Seat.
It’s not just fun for the kids, either: the teacher of the winning entry wins the use of a luxury car for the weekend from BMW Mornington, while the school also wins a car for the weekend which it can auction for fundraising.
Eastbourne’s entry will be displayed alongside 40 traditional scarecrows and art installations on properties and at businesses across the peninsula during the September school holidays.
All schools and kindergartens across the peninsula are welcome to enter the competition. Organisers say they will match all scarecrow creations with a host in the hinterland region.
There is also an Artist Permanent Sculpture competition category and Best Traditional and Best Aussie Icon categories for the community.
For details and to register go to scarecrowfestival.org.au
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 9 August 2016
