There are only a few more weeks to see Expressions 41! Our extension activities, available to download by clicking the links below, were inspired by the theme Our Place in the World.
These lessons encourage students to consider how repeating linear patterns can transform a simple shape such as the shadow of a tree into an exciting and dynamic image.
Written by Chad Solomon, Christopher Meyer, and Tanya Leary, the Adventures of Rabbit and Bear Paws graphic novel series follows the antics of two mischievous brothers in 1750’s colonized North America.
When you visit rabbitandbearpaws.com you will find a whole host of great resources including colouring pages, puppet workshops, and handouts outlining the Seven Grandfather Teachings.
“Rabbit and Bear Paws are heroes that we created to share humorous adventures based on Traditional Teachings. This allows us to carry on the teachings to the youth who wish to explore their roots, while helping to share the wisdom of the Aboriginal community with the universal audience (non-aboriginal). The Anishinabek were the middle-men of the Fur trading era. So the Anishinabek would have traveled and traded with other Nations the same goods that they traded with the French and the English. The idea is to have the family – Rabbit, Bear Paws, Clover Blossom and Grey Stone visit other communities sharing with our audiences how native peoples worked out their differences peacefully when challenges arose. At the same time the stories show how we all learn from each other and that we need to help each other out, including the new neighbours (Europeans).”
KWAG’s Youth Council is planning a collaborative installation for Expressions 41 inspired by images of deep space captured by the Hubble Telescope. It will be unveiled, along with artwork by hundreds of students from Waterloo Region, at the opening reception on April 3, 2016.
If you are planning on submitting student artwork to Expressions 41 you can find the necessary forms here:
expressions41_parentalrelease_2016 expressions41_labelform_2016
One copy of the label form is due back to the gallery on February 12. Hard copies can be dropped off at the reception desk during regular business hours or you can scan and email them to kcarderthompson@kwag.ca.
Artwork can be delivered to the gallery between February 29 and March 11.
Tuesday, February 9, from 4:30 – 5:30 join us for the Mixed Media Journaling Teacher Kit. Included with your registration is a hands-on workshop, lesson plans, poster, and additional resources.
To register follow the link below:
The Fifth World, curated by Wanda Nanibush, and Resort, a new, panoramic video installation by Matilda Aslizadeh, open on January 22, 2016.
Join us for the opening reception and Curator’s Talk, 7 – 10 pm on Friday, January 22. Everyone is welcome at this free event!
Our School Programs are booked solid for this exhibition – for those of you who can’t make it in with your students to see this show the studio activity lesson plan is posted below. Don’t despair, there will be lots of opportunities to come in and see these amazing exhibitions on your own! KWAG will be open on Family Day, February 15, and there will be art activities happening between 1- 4 pm.
Hope to see you at the gallery!
It is time to start thinking about our annual celebration of student art, Expressions. This year’s theme, Our Place in The World, invites students to consider where they fit in the bigger picture of their community, their country, and their world.
Teachers from Waterloo Region Catholic, Public, and Independent schools can find all the information about how to submit student artwork in the forms below or by contacting Kate Carder-Thompson, School Programs Coordinator at KWAG, at kcarderthompson@kwag.on.ca.
The studio was full of fantastical panoramic animations this fall. Students envisioned distant geographies and fictional locales and then sent their avatars to visit these amazing places via simple, plastic cup animations. Check out the lesson plan here:
Last Tuesday, KW|AG’s Youth Council kicked off the start of summer by hosting our annual Teen Night. The evening was a great success. Local teens came out to support the gallery and took part in various hands-on art activities while jamming to music and enjoying free food. The button making activity was our biggest hit. Many creative youth incorporated their own unique designs while others referenced magazines for their button creations. The sidewalk outside the gallery entrance was bursting with colour as the youth council filled the pavement with chalk drawings prior to the event. A friendly game of musical chairs and lawn bowling brought everyone together for a highly energetic and fabulous evening. Before the event came to a close, one of our visitors surprised us with his impressive musical talents when he put on an impromptu performance, singing and playing his guitar, while everyone enjoyed ice cream sundaes.
Are you interested in joining our youth council next year? The gallery is looking for high school students who have a passion for the creative arts. Students meet every other Tuesday throughout the school year to collaborate on upcoming gallery programs and special event planning. Come discover more about our local art community with other artistic youth, all while earning community service hours for your time spent at KW|AG. No prior experience with hands on art practices is required. The first session of the 2015-2016 school year is Tuesday September 29th from 4-6pm. See you there!
Where:
Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery,
101 Queen Street North, Kitchener
(Located in Centre in the Square)
Looking for more information? Find us on Facebook
Scroll down to see photos from the event:
The Expressions 40 show has officially come down and we are welcoming visitors to check out our new exhibitions . Since it was our 40th anniversary of the Gallery’s annual exhibition, this year’s show was particularly exciting and featured a collaborative community timeline created by visitors sharing their memories of the past and hopes for the future. Thanks again to all the teachers in the Waterloo Region District School Board, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, private schools, and home schools who continue to foster their students’ creativity and support our region’s talented young artists each year!
We are excited to announce that planning for the next student exhibition, Expressions 41, is currently underway taking place in spring 2016. Our show will be themed Our Place in the World, which will highlight the relationships between people and our natural environment. These exhibitions are always a lively and inclusive experience that gives our community’s young artists a strong feeling of accomplishment and acceptance in the art world.
We recently interviewed a local student and former Expressions 35 participant, Brittany Law, about how the opportunity to showcase her artwork at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery encouraged her to pursue further studies in fine arts at the University of Waterloo. Her responses highlight how participating in Expressions can be a positive experience for a young artist.
Q: Was Expressions the first show to feature your work?
A: Yes, Expressions was the first gallery run show that my art had ever been a part of outside of the school’s art program. I remember being so flattered when my teacher recognized that my piece was worthy of hanging in the walls at the KWAG. I have a fond memory of seeing my name next to my work on the wall and having that first taste of professionalism, raising my art above amateur status.
Q: How did your participation in Expressions encourage you to further explore visual arts and enroll into a post-secondary education in the arts?
A: Art was always my favorite subject in school. It had always been something that was encouraged by my artistic family to pursue. It came very naturally to me. I had been recognized for my artistic talent before, since I received art awards at school. But my participation in Expressions was the first moment I realized that a career in the art world could be an attainable possibility. Seeing how accepting and vibrant our Region’s art community was helped with my decision to stay local, so I enrolled in Fine Arts at the University of Waterloo two years later.
Q: How did displaying your artwork for public viewing in Expressions impact your decision to continue to share your work with others?
A: Having my piece in the Expressions exhibit gave me the confidence to show my subsequent works to others. It’s very true that artists are very critical of their own work; the artist is more aware of their mistakes and possesses a very strong personal affiliation to the work. Seeing my work displayed helped me tackle my fear of being judged. I stayed long enough during my visit to watch other people’s reaction to my work and it was exciting to hear their positive feedback. I was immediately reassured that my insecurities were invalid, which gave me the confidence to show my works to more people.
Q: Was this experience good preparatory exposure for the viewing your artwork receives in the university galleries?
A: Most certainly! The feedback I received motivated me to create more pieces. This show was definitely a positive experience that gave me a taste of what it would be like to have my artwork on display next to the works of other artists. Throughout my university education there was no warm up to give students’ confidence in showing their works in smaller groups. Instead, artworks were immediately up for critique from my professors and my peers. Without this exhibit I would have had to tackle this hurdle of my lack of confidence in a more intimidating setting. So I feel fortunate that I had prior experience by participating in the Expressions show. I highly recommend this experience for students that wish to pursue a post-secondary education in the arts!
Stay tuned to the KW|AG website for updated forms to submit student artwork to Expressions 41: Our Place in the World at the following link http://kwag.ca/en/programs/Expressions.asp.
Expressions is a student artwork exhibition providing an opportunity for any student in the Waterloo Region to participate and exhibit their artwork in a public space gallery. This is an exciting and encouraging experience that can give students a feeling of accomplishment outside of their school community. We interviewed Expressions participant, Raffi Anderian, who discussed how exhibiting his artwork at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery encouraged him to pursue a life long career in the arts as a commercial and fine artist!
Did participating in Expressions have an impact on the career path you have chosen or would like to choose to pursue?
Not for me, I always wanted to first be a commercial artist and later in life express myself through fine art, which I’m at the stage now.
Based on your own experiences with the show and the arts in general, do you think that Expressions is a beneficial opportunity for students to engage with the community and other artists in Kitchener-Waterloo, and why?
Absolutely! In order to pursue your passion in art, you have to be able to monetize it by marketing it with all the resources available to you. This also means you have to see what others are doing, what sells and how you can add your visual voice to the mix.
What is the value of the arts/arts education?
It’s a starting point. It also allows you to objectively evaluate your current abilities against others to see if it is something you really want to pursue
because it will require an extraordinary amount of dedication and time honing your craft and constantly growing as an artist.
Art Propeller 