Carla and Lisa's Countdown (ATOM Study Guide) - PDF + EPUB

NB: This product includes the Carla and Lisa's Countdown ATOM study guide as a PDF and as an EPUB, which can be used on mobile devices.

What's it like when two avid fans of Australian Art are given free and exclusive access to the expansive Collection of the Art Gallery of NSW? In Carla & Lisa's Countdown we meet Auburn-based visual artists Carla and Lisa Wherby, winners of the Auburn Mayoral Art Prize and Penrith Regional Gallery's inaugural Sizzle Festival mentorship, among other accolades.

Carla lives with chronic anxiety while her twin, Lisa, is her carer and artistic collaborator. In 2017, when the twins were invited to enter the prestigious National Self-Portrait Prize, they went about creating a two-panel portrait of their own lives and the artists that have profoundly influenced them.

The creation of the NSPP 2017 entry coincided with another invitation; the Art Gallery of New South Wales offered the art-loving twins the opportunity to explore the vaults of the Gallery’s Collection and see, in the flesh, the artworks of their artistic heroes including Martin Sharp, Gary Shead, Vicki Varvaressos, Adam Cullen, Susan Norrie and Reg Mombassa. Relishing the opportunity to rummage through the Gallery’s Storage Facility (and on occasions, meet their artistic heroes in person), the twins share their own unique and unusual personal collection.

Carla and Lisa have been enthusiastic autograph hunters since their childhood, when they were Youth Councillors on the iconic ABC Australian music show Countdown and came within touching distance of the stars of Australian music of the 70s and 80s. Their collection of autographs, memorabilia and ephemera covers Australian pop culture unlike anything in the nation's traditional cultural institutions.

Curriculum Links

The activities included in this resource provide opportunities for students to explore Indigenous Australian cultures, language and stories with reference to Carla & Lisa's Countdown. The Australian Curriculum has been used as a guide for the basis of these activities. Teachers are advised to adapt the activities to suit the student age and stage of their class and the curriculum foci and outcomes used in specific schools. Some websites are suggested throughout this resource. It is recommended that teachers first visit the sites and assess the suitability of the content for their specific school before setting the activities based on these.

Carla & Lisa's Countdown can be linked to the following subject areas within the Australian National Curriculum:

• Media Arts Years 7 – 10
• Visual Arts Year 9 - 10
• English Years 9 – 10
• Health and Physical Education Years 9 – 10
• Year 10 History