When John McDonald was growing up in Cessnock in the 1960s and '70s, opportunities to access art and literature were few and far between.
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He believes not much has changed since then, but a new mentoring program and exhibition could prove to be a turning point for young local artists.
Mr McDonald, the senior art critic at the Sydney Morning Herald, was back in his hometown on Friday to open the Cessnock Contemporary exhibition at Kiosk @ The Tennis Club - just a few hundred metres from his alma mater, Cessnock High School.
The exhibition features works by eight local high school students who took part in the School Contemporary Art Mentoring Program, in which they were paired with a professional artist for guidance throughout this year.
READ MORE: Youth express their voices through art
Mr McDonald commended the student artists and their mentors, and the concept of the mentoring program.
"I was really pleasantly surprised by the quality of the work, by the imaginative input of all the young artists involved," he said.
"And I just think it's a fantastic idea to get some established artists - some people who've been around the block a few times - to work with young people and to let them see that there are opportunities and there are chances.
"And the most important thing of all for young artists and young people is to trust in your imagination, because you'll never have more energy for the rest of your life than you do when you're about 18 or 19.
"You've got energy to burn, but you also think you've got time to burn.
"You're 18 or 19, and you've got it ahead of you - don't waste the time.
"Things like this are a great opportunity - to find out that art isn't just something you do once in a while, that it can be a lifetime occupation, it teaches you about the world, it can teach you the kind of person that you are.
"I commend this show, and may there be many more like it."
About 100 people attended the opening night on Friday, including the artists, families, friends and supporters and sponsors of the mentoring program.
The students and mentors include Chloe Stanton and Fiona Davies, Ryan Lewis and James Nguyen, Jada-Lee Stevenson and Merryn Hull, Noone Khairam and Sylvia Griffin, Samantha Leslie and James Gardiner, Ethan Butcher and Elwira Skowronska, Lily Stothard and Tom Isaacs, and Tahlia Watson and Penny Dunstan.
Cessnock Contemporary is open from 10am to 4pm daily at Kiosk @ The Tennis Club until Sunday.
The online catalogue can be viewed at cessnockcontemporary.com.au.
IN THE NEWS
Krystal Sellars
Krystal Sellars is the Senior Journalist at the Cessnock Advertiser. Born and raised in Cessnock, she started her journalism career at the Advertiser in 2006 after completing a Bachelor of Communication at the University of Newcastle. Contact her on krystal.sellars@cessnockadvertiser.com.au.
Krystal Sellars is the Senior Journalist at the Cessnock Advertiser. Born and raised in Cessnock, she started her journalism career at the Advertiser in 2006 after completing a Bachelor of Communication at the University of Newcastle. Contact her on krystal.sellars@cessnockadvertiser.com.au.
