Irish Arts Review

Stories from the SchoolsSource: Irish Arts Review (2002-), Vol. 21, 50th Anniversary of the Texaco Children's ArtCompetition (2004), p. 8Published by: Irish Arts ReviewStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25503149 .

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Stories from the

SCHOOLS Over 2,000 schools throughout the 32 counties

of Ireland participate in the Texaco

Children's Art Competition every year. The

range of schools is indeed impressive and diverse.

'Winning a Texaco Children's Art prize gives students

the status of artists and encourages them to go from

strength to strength,' comments art teacher Christina

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Crotty o? Mount Sackville Secondary School,

Chapelizod, Dublin. Having entered the

Competition herself as a youngster, Mrs Crotty

has since helped pupils prepare for the Texaco

Children's Art Competition over the past 30 years

and seen it develop with the times. 'Children are

not confined as regards subject matter and mate

rials,' she relates. 'You can enter prints, collages,

as well as conventional paintings and drawings.

The timing o? the Cmpetition is very good too, it

doesn't clash with the school programme.' She

recalls with pride, former pupil and overall win

ner Emma Brannigan, and colleague Helen

Fenton who are both now students at the NCAD.

Olivia Nestor, Loreto Primary School,

Rathfarnham, Dublin, has likewise watched the

Texaco Children's Art phenomenon develop over

the years. Having entered the Competition herself

as a child, she subsequently

groomed several classes of

schoolchildren to participate

in the Competition.

'The competition pro

vides a very wide audience for children's art,' she

comments. 'Children's paintings are almost always

confined to the walls of a classroom. But Texaco

has opened the way for them to be viewed by a

national audience. The pupils don't really see it as

a competition as such, but just enjoy taking part?

and that is very healthy indeed.'

Eilish O'Donnell teaches art on Saturday morn

ings in a function room at Strandhill in Co Sligo.

She too is a huge fan of the Texaco Children's Art

Competition, having entered herself a number o?

times as a child. Around eighty pupils (some only

fours years o? age) from Strandhill Art Class now

enter the Competition every year and regularly scoop

merits and commendations. 'Texaco Children's Art is just

fantastic,' Eilish declares. 'It's so prestigious and the stan

dard is so high. Art is too often neglected in the school

curriculum, especially at primary school level.'

Margaret Irwin teaches at St Mary's Boys School,

Haddington Road, Dublin, and speaks highly of the

importance of the Texaco Children's Art Competition for

disadvantaged, inner-city schools. Her entire school now

enters the Competition every year and regularly feature

among the highly commended entries. This year provided

a real milestone when Dylan McKeon was a category win

ner with Let Sleeping Wolves Lie.

'Art is very important for developing the mind and

changing attitudes,' Margaret comments. 'I believe art

can be taught, no matter what others may say. 1 get a great

thrill when I see one of my pupils looking at things in an

entirely new way?like the young lad I asked recently to

paint a red flower and he replied after studying it for a

while that it wasn't red, but orange, yellow and green. I

was delighted and thought 'Yes, I've finally cracked it!'

Brushstrokes Arts School in Marino Mart, Dublin,

has been a constant supporter of the Texaco Children's

Art Competition?unsurprisingly, perhaps, since

Brushstrokes Director Phelim Donfield is himself a for

mer winner. Around 20 to 30 pupils at Brushstrokes now

enter the Competition each year?and they made their

mark again in 2004 when eleven-year-old pupil Cian

Keogh took first prize in his category.

'The Texaco Children's Art Competition is wonderful,'

enthuses Brushstrokes art teacher Caroline Hook. 'You can

not but be impressed to see the work the children put into

their entries. Traditionally our schooling system has been

geared to teaching logical and analyti

cal processes. Creativity tends to be

side-lined. So the Texaco Children's

Art Competition is all the more effec

tive. Long may it continue!

You cannot but be impressed to see the work the children put into their entries

A selection

of award

winning works

from the Texaco

Children's Art

Competition

IRISH AR T S REVIEW SPECIAL EDITION

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