The Canadian Art Foundation School Hop: A hit with students and teachers!
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Andrew Harwood, School Hop facilitator with students from Greenwood Secondary School at Prefix ICA participating in the Spring 08 Canadian Art School Hop. |
This year’s spring Canadian Art Foundation School Hop, held from April 9 to 11, brought out 289 students from 15 Toronto-area high schools eager to learn about contemporary art.
Now in its eighth year, the Hop, which took place during the city’s Images Festival of film, video and new media art, gave students the opportunity to engage with photography and new media exhibitions at galleries throughout the 401 Richmond complex, including A Space Gallery, Gallery 44, YYZ Artists’ Outlet, Prefix ICA, the Women’s Art Resource Centre, Wynick/Tuck Gallery, Trinity Square Video and Vtape.
Media literacy is being introduced into local high school curricula for the first time this year, making this Hop particularly relevant. “[The experience] raised many questions,” said teacher Irene Faiz “When we go back to the classroom, [the students] can ask these questions so that their art reflects their world.”
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Sarah Sharkey-Pearce, School Hop facilitator with students from Birchmont Park Collegiate on Queen Street participating in the Fall 07 Canadian Art School Hop. |
Each session, students gathered in the lobby for a quick introduction by Hop coordinator Sara Graham before heading off with their tour leaders, artists Pamila Matharu, Sarah Sharkey Pearce, Andrew Harwood, Kerri Reid and Dave Donald.
The students were welcomed at Trinity Square Video by artist Sara Angelucci, who had work on view and had just completed a month-long artist residency. She discussed her work and explained the value of residencies.
Curators Emilie Chhangur and Barbara Sternberg walked students through their exhibitions at WARC and Wynick/Tuck galleries respectively, outlining the themes of each show and explaining their choices of work. They also defined their jobs as curators for interested students.
Highlights of this year’s Hop included a special screening of Montreal-based artist Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay’s highly acclaimed video I am a Boyband and the exhibition Uncharted Histories: Pirates by Toronto filmmaker Christina Battle.
The School Hop was inspired by the success of the long-running Canadian Art Gallery Hop, an afternoon of free talks and panel discussions stationed in galleries across Toronto each fall. The Canadian Art Foundation’s commitment to serve learners of all ages prompted this project connecting younger audiences with contemporary art.
As always, transportation to and from the Hop was provided free of charge and each student received a free sketchbook and copy of Canadian Art magazine.
Thanks to School Hop sponsors CIBC, Gerry Sheff + Shanitha Kachan and the Ontario Arts Foundation.
Spring School Hop 2008 from Canadian Art on Vimeo.
