Strathmore Primary VIC

When Strathmore Primary School’s art teacher Sandra hit the road on a holiday, she never expected to return with a brilliant school fundraising idea. But a chance encounter with an artist’s Australiana-themed tea towels in a local gallery sparked a new creative vision for her classroom, and a beautiful collaboration.

Inspired by Melbourne artist Chantel de Latour, Sandra designed a drawing unit for her Year 5/6 students. The brief? Choose a classic Aussie food and recreate it in watercolour. The result was an explosion of colour and culture, from Vegemite and Bubble O’Bills to Milo, meat pies and Tim Tams, the students nailed it!

To bring their art to life, Sandra turned to Expressions. Every piece of artwork was posted to the Expressions team, who carefully scanned and returned each original. The vibrant final product were personalised tea towels that each family could order at cost price, some even bought multiples.

Although this project wasn’t initially run as a fundraiser, its popularity may have changed Sandra’s mind for next year. “I wanted students to see that art can live beyond paper – on everyday items we use and love,” she explained. “That’s why these tea towels meant so much.” The final tea towel design even featured a special one for Sandra, a gorgeous collage with every student’s illustration included. That’s what we call a true class act!