Angelic piece of artwork at Urquhart Park Primary

By Emma Brown
Updated November 2 2012 - 1:00pm, first published December 15 2009 - 12:47pm
BIG ART LOVERS: Ballarat MHR Catherine King, left, with Urquhart Park Primary School art teacher Emily Moody, pupils Jacinta Landers and Jai Machacek, and artist Deborah Halpern with the new sculpture. Picture:
BIG ART LOVERS: Ballarat MHR Catherine King, left, with Urquhart Park Primary School art teacher Emily Moody, pupils Jacinta Landers and Jai Machacek, and artist Deborah Halpern with the new sculpture. Picture:

SHE MAY weigh more than 450kg, but the Beautiful Angel is a piece of art.The colourful 2.4 metre mosaic sculpture took its place out front of Urquhart Park Primary School on Monday.Urquhart Park Primary School art teacher, and initiator of the project, Emily Moody, watched nervously as the sculpture the school community had been working on for the past six months was raised into place.The sculpture was officially unveiled in front of the school community and some distinguished guests, including Ballarat MHR Catherine King and City of Ballarat councillor Samantha McIntosh.Ms Moody describes the sculpture as real community art."This is a real collaboration between the school and the community, as everyone pitched in and worked on it giving time, equipment and materials," Ms Moody said.The ceremony was to thank all involved in the project, including the many businesses who contributed materials and equipment, the parents group which worked on it, Ballarat High School students who helped, and the school's pupils.Renowned Melbourne artist, Deborah Halpern helped with all aspects of the sculpture, from the design to tile cutting.While delighted with the finished result, both Ms Moody and Ms Halpern said there were times when they had felt like throwing down their tile cutters."There were times when we were dancing with the chaos and the kids had to just keep dancing with the chaos too," Ms Halpern said.All 240 pupils at the school have contributed to the Beautiful Angel by hand-painting individual tiles with an image that means something to them.The tiles were then cut up and made into a gallery inside, outside and surrounding the sculpture.

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