They say beauty can be found in the most unexpected places, including the side of a concrete truck.
For the 11th year in a row, the MacLaren Art Centre in Barrie has partnered with The Sarjeant Company for The Sarjeant Co. Design Project, an annual program that invites high school art students from around Simcoe County to create unique rotational designs to decorate the drums of Sarjeant Company concrete trucks.
Each year, one winning design from each participating school is selected.
To date, more than 650 students have entered their artwork into the competition, and 34 designs have been featured on Sarjeant’s fleet of concrete trucks.
Last year’s celebration was postponed due to COVID-19, however, this year the two organizations are excited to celebrate the achievements of the students who took part in both the 2020 and 2021 project, and The Sarjeant Company plans to add five winning designs to its fleet, one from each school that participated in both 2020 and 2021.
“Annually, the MacLaren recruits professional artists from the region to teach students about the project specifications, using professional art materials to create a design that will stand out as a monumental, rotational artwork,” Tania Gregoire, marketing and events nanager for the MacLaren, said in a statement.
“In 2020, Bernadette Wells led students through the art-making process, and in 2021 Kim Brett facilitated the workshops in virtual classrooms," she added.
A jury, made up of staff from the MacLaren and The Sarjeant Company, selected the winning designs and all artworks entered are displayed in the MacLaren’s Molson Community Gallery.
Below are the winning designs for the 2020 and 2021 Sarjeant Co. Design Project:
• Alyson Dyce – Winner 2020 (Elmvale District High School)
• Ava Corbiere – Winner 2020 (St. Theresa’s Catholic High School, Midland)
• Oscar Csekey – Winner 2020 (Twin Lakes Secondary School, Orillia)
• Kendra Hamer – Winner 2021 (Parry Sound High School)
• Vanessa Namseang – Winner 2021 (Nantyr Shores Secondary School, Innisfil)
“Our congratulations go to the participating students, with sincere thanks to the artist instructors, our community of dedicated teachers and to The Sarjeant Company for their 10-plus years of support for the visual arts in our region."
The virtual exhibition featuring all of the designs from 2020 and 2021, as well as winning designs from years past can be found by visiting www.maclarenart.com.
