12-year-old Serena Bamford from the Royal High School Bath has won a city-wide art competition after impressing judges with her remarkable mixed-media piece inspired by the ‘Hope and Humanity in the Commonwealth’ theme.
Organised by the Bath & District branch of The Commonwealth Society – an educational charity sponsoring educational travel and associated projects and promoting international understanding through the vehicle of the modern Commonwealth – the competition was open to all artists, school age to professional, living, learning or working in the BA postcode.
While Serena was awarded top prize in the 11-15 years category for her piece titled Fragility and Hope, two other Royal High School students were also recognised by the judges. 14-year-old Minnie Zhu was second in the 11-15 years category with her Flower of Peace and 17-year-old Bella Bullock received second prize in the 16-18 years category for her piece We are One. All three students are thrilled to be attending the prize giving ceremony on Sunday 13 March, 4.30pm at 44AD Artspace in Bath where they will be presented with their awards by Michael Eavis CBE, the founder of the Glastonbury Festival.
Kate Reynolds, Headteacher of The Royal High School Bath, said: “There is so much to celebrate here at The Royal High, and this week it’s the turn of our wonderful Art School. We’re delighted for our three girls, Serena, Minnie and Bella, for their winning entries, but our congratulations go to all our students who submitted some truly fantastic and exciting works.
“What we’re particularly proud of is that while all our girls have worked really hard and showed great skill and imagination, they’ve also demonstrated practical skills in being able to work successfully to a specific brief and a tight deadline. Our hope is always to help our girls reach their full potential and make their mark on the outside world, and this has been a wonderful example of our students doing just that.”
One of the judges, Janet Rose, Principle of Norland College, added, “All the award winners from the Royal High displayed immense creativity, sophistication and originality. It is clear that the pieces have been deeply considered and all demonstrate artistic excellence. I loved how each piece conveyed an inspiring message in different ways. Well done to you all!”