A lucky group of students from Cessnock East Public School can.

About 40 students from two Stage 2 classes collaborated with environmental artist Leesa Knights on an artwork that forms part of her exhibition Salvaged, which opened at Cessnock Regional Art Gallery on Thursday evening.

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The exhibition is run in conjunction with Wollombi’s Sculpture in the Vineyards, and the collaboration between the school and the artist was the brainchild of Sculpture curator, Kes Harper.

Harper said the idea of the project was to educate, involve and engage local children and their families in environmental art practices.

Each student was encouraged to bring in a small wooden item that Knights then painted black and arranged into an assemblage.

A drawer handle, salad tongs, a pine cone and beads from a necklace were among the variety of items that were contributed.

The students were encouraged to share their stories about their object, while learning about the importance of salvaging, reusing and recycling in today’s society.

They also filmed a six-minute video and compiled a book to accompany the artwork. 

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Cessnock East Public School teacher Alexandra Bull said it was a valuable experience for the students.

“These days kids don’t just sit at a desk and write things or copy from the board – they create things and make things,” she said.

Knights said the project gave the students “freedom, connection and the ability to tell a story”.

The art work will be displayed in the school hall after the exhibition concludes.

Salvaged coincides with Sculpture in the Vineyards, which will take place across Stonehurst Cedar Creek, Undercliff Winery and Noyce Brothers Wines and the historic Wollombi village from October 28 to December 3.

An associated exhibition of small sculptures will be held at Wollombi Cultural Centre’s Old Fireshed Gallery on weekends from November 4 to 26.

Sculpture in the Vineyards’ official opening will take place at Stonehurst Cedar Creek on Saturday at 5pm. The free public exhibition will be open 10am to 5pm, seven days a week.