Micro Grant Stories: Veritas Art Project

To celebrate Veritas House’s 40th anniversary four young Central West artists aged 12 to 25 were teamed up with local professional artists to develop and create artworks. This project was supported by Arts OutWest and the NSW Government through Arts Restart.

Veritas House is a not-for-profit in Bathurst and Orange providing accommodation and support services to children, young people and their families.

Veritas House shares their project and outcomes:

What did you do with the funds from your Arts OutWest Micro Grant?

To mark Veritas House’s 40^th Anniversary, we launched the Veritas Art Project, to coincide with Youth Week.

The Art Project sought Expressions of Interest from people aged 12 to 25, residing in the Central West, from which four young artists were selected by a panel to be formally commissioned.

With the funds provided by Arts OutWWest, we purchased the materials required by each young artist to complete their artwork and were able to engage local, established artists as mentors to help develop the young artists’ creative ideas further and build up new skills.

The resulting artworks include:

A half skull, half self-portrait – Oil on Canvas
A ram’s skull sketch – Graphite on Paper
A large-scale photo collage exploring isolation, depression, and darkness in contrast to togetherness, positive mental health, and lightness – Photo prints on box-frame canvases
An Australian bush scene with a fireman rescuing a Koala – Mixed Media

What were the benefits gained from your Arts OutWest Micro Grant and how did it help you or others during the Covid-19 crisis?

The Veritas Art Project provided an outlet for young people to express themselves through art in a particularly trying time following the outbreak of COVID-19. According to feedback from the artists, the project was a positive experience to focus on during a hard time.

By fostering introductions and supporting connections with local, established artists, the project has helped develop the skills and confidence of the young artists, to nurture their budding artistic talent. The funding ensured financial disadvantage was no barrier to accessing the required art materials required by each artist, which allowed them to dream up big designs, try new mediums, and learn through trial and error.

The Veritas Art Project was initiated to mark the organisation’s 40^th Anniversary and will continue to be a celebration of the talents of young people in our community for years to come, as we plan to showcase the completed works throughout our Bathurst and Orange offices for service users to admire and enjoy.