Jayne Wilson art exhibition receives record entries
Jayne Wilson art exhibition receives record entries
24 January 2018
The winners of the 2018 Jayne Wilson Memorial Arts Competition and Exhibition were announced at last week's opening night. They were (L-R) Robyn McCue (open category), Abby Adlington (youth category - received by her brother Ty) and Fiona Seymour (child category). Wollongong Salvation Army's Major Rebecca Inglis presented the winners with their prize.
The largest collection of artwork in its four-year history is on display at the annual Jayne Wilson Memorial Arts Exhibition at the Wollongong Salvation Army centre.
The exhibition, which is open until January 29, honours the legacy of Jayne Wilson who, in 1996, established the First Floor Program in Wollongong. The program is a holistic and family-inclusive counselling and support service for those impacted by alcohol and drug misuse, mental health issues, trauma, grief and loss. 
Jayne (pictured right), who passed away on Christmas Day 2013, often used artwork activities in the support and counselling groups she ran, and was an artist herself.
“We wanted to involve the community in honouring Jayne’s legacy; she loved art and used it frequently in our programs, so this was a way we could combine these elements and celebrate her passion for family, recovery and hospitality,’’ First Floor Program coordinator Marilyn Dunn said.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the community response – the largest collection of works to date (almost 120 pieces) and they are incredibly creative and colourful, very much in keeping with Jayne’s love of creativity and beauty.” 
More than 100 invited guests attended the official opening of the exhibition on Thursday evening, 18 January, including Jayne’s children (pictured right: Kim McMullan, Paul Flemming and Lisa Luis) and First Floor Program participants.
Jayne was extremely active and respected in the Wollongong community, including her role as police chaplain in the Lake Illawarra Area Command, and this was reflected in the guest list. Among the guests were Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery, representatives of local state and federal politicians, as well as the NSW Police and Fire & Rescue.
Radio personality and musician Mark Matthews, MC for the opening, announced the winners of the Wilson Family Awards for works best representing Jayne’s personality, life and legacy, and the 2018 theme of “Diversity”. 
The winners were:
Child: Fiona Seymour for “Perfectly Imperfect”
Youth: Abby Adlington for “Chickens of the World”
Open: Robyn McCue for “All Creatures Great & Small”
A People’s Choice Award will be presented on Sunday 28 January, during the 10am service at Wollongong Salvation Army.
The First Floor Program’s Craft Conversation & Coffee sponsored the awards, and the exhibition is also supported with in-kind donations by local businesses Go Hire, UTJ Interiors, Dekker Custom Picture Framing, and Jungle Dust floral stylist. The Wollongong Corps and cafe also give invaluable assistance.
The featured artist for this year’s exhibition is Jedd Dimension, who studied Fine Arts at West Wollongong TAFE, then completed his Bachelor of Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong in 2016.
“Jedd explores the three dimensional qualities paint possesses, engaging in a number of strategies to create paintings that support and paint themselves,” Marilyn said.
The Jayne Wilson Memorial Arts Competition and Exhibition is open daily from 10am-3pm until January 29 at The Salvation Army, 11-13 Burelli St, Wollongong. See First Floor Program Salvation Army on Facebook for further information.
Comments
Thanks Dean
...you know today is Jayne's birthday...