A place of belonging

This year our annual Braidwood Show Art Project was inspired by the concept of ‘belonging’; a feeling of knowing where and with whom you belong – a feeling that is integral to human existence. We acknowledge that children belong first to a family, a cultural group, a neighbourhood and wider community. With this in mind; our piece naturally evolved.

The background colours and tones of each individual piece were discussed, carefully selected and later combined to create earthy and rustic tones to reflect the landscape of Braidwood.

Each child was then invited to draw their self-portrait using either charcoal or permanent marker. These reflect each child’s individuality and identity; appreciating the uniqueness that each piece brings.

We then placed the portrait on to the painted card that each child had previously painted using the tones discussed above. During this process the educators engaged in conversations with children which were prompted by questions similar to “What makes you feel like you belong?”, “How does your heart feel when you feel like you belong?” and “How does your heart feel at Preschool?” Snapshots of these conversations are displayed on each child’s piece.

Each portrait was then intricately pieced together on a board to reflect preschool as our meeting place; a place of belonging, a place of community, a place that offers consistency and cohesiveness.

We then invited families to help incorporate the diverse demographic that we are fortunate enough to have interlaced throughout our community. With quite a few families who speak two or more languages; we were supported to translate words inspired by the term of belonging. These have been placed intentionally to ‘tie’ this piece together.

It has been warming to watch children and families interact around this display board as they share the meaning behind their own individual piece.