Art For All Success!

A huge thank you to everyone who volunteered and helped make Art For All such an incredible weekend.

Events like this are only possible because so many people are willing to give a small amount of their time to help. But volunteering does more than make the event happen. It gives us the chance to meet new people, build friendships, and strengthen the community around our school.

It was wonderful to see so many families and community members coming together, pitching in, and having fun along the way.

Weekend Highlights

The Gallery was beautifully curated, with over 300 works on display featuring incredible art from all over Melbourne and beyond.

Friday night's soft opening of the Gallery is quickly becoming the place to be, with astute art collectors mixing with past and present families and members of the local community to get a first look, and purchase artwork.

The Children's Gallery, aka the Heroes Gallery, featured Vincent Namatjira's famous self-portrait as its centrepiece, aptly surrounded by children's portraits of their own heroes.

At Gala Night, we were so lucky to have artist, writer, filmmaker, and Academy Award winner Shaun Tan deliver our Artist Speech. His message to follow your curiosity, pursue your interests, and think and draw like a six-year-old inspired and reminded us what is truly important. Our Year 6 students were incredibly professional, serving delicious canapés throughout the night. With the bar flowing and music filling the space, it was a fabulous official opening of Art For All.

Family Fair Day was buzzing from start to finish! Melbourne's winter weather turned it on with blue skies all day, helping attract more than 1,200 people across the event.

Kids got creative in ArtZone, which included DIY face painting, ghost gum tree decorating, and clay sculpting. Tie-dye was, as always, a hugely popular activity, and we're sure to see plenty of colourful creations around Fairfield in the coming weeks! Our Community Art Project by the amphitheatre was incredible. Children and adults alike contributed pieces to a beautiful hanging installation on the weeping gum. Be sure to check it out this week, as it remains on display.

The Preserves, Cake, and Adopt-a-Toy stalls all sold out and were supplied entirely through donations from our wonderful community.

The Kids Makers' Market gave our Year 5&6 students a chance to showcase their business skills. We had everything from bookmarks and candles to fidgets on sale. Well done to our young entrepreneurs!

The Disco gave everyone a space to enjoy themselves and move creatively.

Food and drinks kept everyone well fed, with minimal queues and a great variety of offerings, including sushi, which made a welcome return this year. We sold an incredible 759 fairy floss sticks, a testament to the hard work of the fairy floss parents, as it is always one of the most popular stalls of the day.

The Fig Tree Stage ensured everyone was entertained all day. Highlights included Melbourne Djembe, who had the whole audience involved with drumming and dancing, FPS's own Big Band and Choir, and parent bands The Special Guests and North$ide Hustle. One of the standout moments was watching some very brave and talented children jump up impromptu at the end of the day to sing with Olivia on the keyboard. The next generation of musicians is looking bright!

Finally, the rides on the oval added an extra sense of excitement and fun to the day, delighting children of all ages and helping create the vibrant atmosphere that makes Family Fair Day so special.

Once again, thank you to everyone who contributed to the event, particularly the Committee members who have been planning this for months.

We look forward to next year's 30th Art For All event!

~ Art for All Committee