Students with disability and diverse learning needs from Tweed schools will display their artwork at the ArtSpeak Studios exhibition in Murwillumbah.
The exhibition is a collaboration between Social Futures and the Tweed 7 schools. It gives students a platform to explore identity, creativity and self-expression through art. ArtSpeak Studios is open to the public at M|Arts Precinct Murwillumbah from Friday 26 June to Wednesday 1 July, as part of the LAVA arts festival. Pictured left to right: Jun Pearce, student, Banora Point High School; Kate Parker – Special Education Teacher, Banora Point High School; Dash Nelson, student, Banora Point High School; Gemma Hayes – Community Development Coordinator, Social Futures.
Students with disability and diverse learning needs in the Tweed will have their creative work showcased at the ArtSpeak Studios exhibition in Murwillumbah, as part of the new LAVA arts festival.
The exhibition is a collaboration between NDIS partner Social Futures and the Tweed 7, a network of seven local schools with specialist learning and support units, aimed at fostering creative opportunities for students with disability and diverse learning needs.
Social Futures Community Development Coordinator, Gemma Hayes, said the ArtSpeak Studios exhibition builds on the success of earlier community art projects celebrating the voices of people with lived experience of neurodivergence, d/Deafness and disability through art.
“The ArtSpeak exhibition is a wonderful platform for artistic expression and a catalyst for dialogue, advocacy and inclusion,” Ms Hayes said.
“It has provided an opportunity for students to explore their identity and express themselves in a creative and unstructured way.
“The exhibition amplifies the students’ voices and broadens their networks. Each piece is accompanied by a statement from the artist, allowing insight and appreciation of their diverse experiences.”
Digital artwork by Banora Point High School student Dash Nelson features in promotional materials for the exhibition.
“My artwork shows how unique people can be, and how colourful our personalities are,” Dash said.
“It shows how creative you can be when you are trying to express yourself.”
Special Education teacher, Kate Parker, who works in the Banora Point High School Support Unit approached Social Futures with a proposal to create this year’s ArtSpeak Studios concept, having worked alongside Ms Hayes on a previous art project.
Ms Parker created the ArtSpeak visual arts program for students in years 7 to 12, as a resource for teachers across the Tweed 7 schools to deliver during weekly classes.
Over a 10-week period, students used different modalities to explore identity, creativity, and self-expression, and their ideas and approaches deepened over time.
“The central questions students explored were ‘Who am I?’ and ‘How do I show up in the world?’,” Ms Parker said.
“Each student’s project took on a life of its own. Their initial ideas remained the same, but the process and mediums they chose to use changed along the way. It’s really nice to have seen the students be so flexible throughout the process.
“The talent that these kids have, seeing what they can produce is amazing. The ideas they have are so fantastic and just beautiful. I’m thrilled to think visitors to the exhibition will get to experience that too.”
The ArtSpeak Studios exhibition is designed to be inclusive, accessible, and welcoming to people of all abilities, backgrounds, and identities.
Open to the public at M|Arts Precinct Murwillumbah from Friday 26 June, 5pm to 8pm, and Saturday 27 June to Wednesday 1 July, 10am to 3pm. For program information visit https://www.lava-arts.com.au/program-2026
