{"id":7000,"date":"2026-02-18T16:57:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T05:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/?p=7000"},"modified":"2026-05-12T14:35:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T04:35:56","slug":"library-bag-giveaway-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/library-bag-giveaway-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Angus, creator of the 2026 Deakin Library bag artwork"},"content":{"rendered":"

As O\u2011Week rolls around, the Library is excited to share this year\u2019s Library Bag featuring original artwork by Angus Matthews (he\/him, @oldmanstanley_<\/a>), a second\u2011year Marine Science student based at Waurn Ponds.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Angus\u2019s artwork was created in response to the simple but thought-provoking yearly prompt for the Library Artwork competition<\/a>: <\/span>What does the library mean to you?<\/span><\/i> His answer, and his art, reflect the Library as a place of connection, creativity, and shared experience.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our Deakin Library Comms team spent some time asking him about his inspiration for the artwork and his connection to the\u00a0library.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Finding connection in the\u00a0Library<\/h2>\n

For Angus, the Library is part of his everyday university life.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0where he studies \u201clike\u00a0nearly every\u00a0other day.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s\u00a0not just about getting work done\u00a0but\u00a0about being together. Angus often studies with his girlfriend and friends, using the\u00a0Library\u00a0as a space to connect while staying productive.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great way that we can spend time together and be productive and get work\u00a0done, but\u00a0still\u00a0…\u00a0be together and friends as well.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Having a physical space to learn has made\u00a0a big difference\u00a0to Angus\u2019s university experience, particularly after starting his studies during\u00a0COVID.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo actually be able to come in and have a physical space where you can learn,\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0what high school was like.” The\u00a0Library\u00a0\u201cjust made\u00a0uni\u00a0a lot more approachable in my eyes.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From sketchbook to Library bag<\/h2>\n

Angus\u2019s artwork began, as many of his pieces do, with sketches in a notebook.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He\u00a0describes\u00a0\u201calways\u00a0start[ing\u00a0with]\u00a0just like sketching things out in my notebook.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Inspired by the\u00a0Waurn\u00a0Ponds campus and the\u00a0Library\u2019s\u00a0surroundings, Angus imagined a figure in the foreground, with nature flowing through the composition.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>The idea in my head of that pond out there was big in my mind and then just wanted to frame it\u00a0like,\u00a0having a person in the foreground. A lot of my artwork revolves around people<\/span>\u00a0\u2026\u00a0<\/span>there’s\u00a0like very natural and flowing landscapes, which is just, you know,\u00a0that’s\u00a0how this space feels to me<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nature plays\u00a0a central role\u00a0in the final design.\u00a0Not just visually, but emotionally.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Angus, the artwork he created\u00a0reflects\u00a0\u201chow this space feels to\u00a0me.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0just very natural\u2026 and\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0inspired the artwork pretty much as a whole.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A shared student experience<\/h2>\n

When thinking about what the\u00a0Library\u00a0means\u00a0to him, Angus kept coming back to one idea:\u00a0collective experience.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe might not all talk to each other, we might not all know each other, but we\u2019re all just in here doing the same thing, and it feels great.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a feeling many students will recognise studying side by side, laptops open, coffees in hand. He drew experience from Maiya Steele\u2019s artwork<\/a> from last year, featuring this imagery.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such a shared experience. So we all come in, we get caffeinated, and we get to work.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For students starting\u00a0uni\u00a0this year, Angus sees the\u00a0Library\u00a0as an essential space for grounding and connection.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0that secondary space where things can get so cerebral\u00a0and in your head\u2026 it just grounds it all.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0like, come\u00a0to the library. This is where it can all be real.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not your \u201ctraditional\u201d library<\/h2>\n

Angus also loves that the\u00a0Library\u00a0offers\u00a0different ways\u00a0to be,\u00a0whether\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0looking for quiet focus or social study.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like other libraries where you sort of banish to silence and it\u2019s a scary, quiet place.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To Angus, the Library feels open and flexible.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want that quiet space,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0there and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0clearly marked. But\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0not a traditional library where\u00a0everyone\u2019s\u00a0hiding away,\u00a0which is great.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Angus hopes\u00a0you\u2019ll\u00a0take away<\/h2>\n

Above all, Angus\u00a0hopes his artwork\u00a0featured on this year\u2019s Library bag helps students feel at ease.\u00a0He wants new\u00a0students\u00a0to see the\u00a0Library\u00a0as \u201cnatural and easy.\u201d\u00a0He has designed it as if you can see\u00a0yourself,\u00a0as a Deakin student,\u00a0in the artwork. In a way, \u201cit involves you and it\u2019s not separate from you.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The artwork is designed to invite\u00a0different kinds\u00a0of engagement, just like the\u00a0Library\u00a0itself.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can sit here and you can read into it if you want to, or you can just look at it for one moment and go, \u2018that\u2019s pretty.\u2019\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Get your Library bag at O\u2011Week<\/h2>\n

You can grab a free Library bag featuring Angus\u2019s artwork during O\u2011Week, 23\u201327 February 2026. Be quick, as they disappear very quickly. Whether you\u2019re carrying books, a laptop, or just your everyday essentials, it\u2019s a little reminder that the Library is a place to study, connect and belong.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As O\u2011Week rolls around, the Library is excited to share this year\u2019s Library Bag featuring original artwork by Angus Matthews (he\/him, @oldmanstanley_), a second\u2011year Marine Science student based at Waurn Ponds.\u00a0 Angus\u2019s artwork was created in response to the simple but thought-provoking yearly prompt for the Library Artwork competition: What does the library mean to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":137461,"featured_media":7395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[25,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-interest","category-library-services"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pao1A6-1OU","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/326\/2026\/02\/Angus-Matthews-artist-photo2.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/137461"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7000"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7014,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7000\/revisions\/7014"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.deakin.edu.au\/article\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}