The Canadian Art School Hop: Newly Expanded for 2008
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Artist facilitator Andrew Harwood with students from Wexford Collegiate at Stephen Bulger Gallery |
The 8th edition of the Canadian Art School Hop, which took place on October 22, 23, 29 and 30, was more comprehensive than ever thanks to increased funding that the Canadian Art Foundation generously received from CIBC, the Ontario Arts Foundation and Gerald Sheff and Shanitha Kachan.
Over the course of the four-day program, more than 400 high school students from 21 schools across the Greater Toronto Area made their way along Queen Street West in Toronto. A team of five local professional artists led groups of up to 20 students on half-day tours through commercial galleries, artist-run centres and cultural institutions, which offered the students insight into various art practices. With eight tours each day, it was a busy schedule!
The students began at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, taking in shows at Stephen Bulger Gallery, Gallery TPW, Loop, the Drake Hotel and others along the way before finishing at the Gladstone Hotel. For many students the School Hop is the first opportunity for them to visit Queen Street West galleries and experience the Toronto art scene.
At MOCCA, curator Camilla Singh spoke to students about her exhibition “Dyed Roots: the new emergence of culture.” Artist and curator Emelie Chhangur was also on hand to speak about her piece in the show. “MOCCA was great because many of the works involved a lot of different materials,” says artist tour leader Sara Angelucci. “We discussed the relationship between concept and process, and why Emelie would have made work with blood and salt, for instance. We spent time looking at pieces and brainstorming.”
The tour continued to Katharine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects and Thrush Holmes Empire. “Thrush Holmes was very generous with his time, answering questions and talking about his life,” comments Angelucci. “I think it was empowering for students to see someone who has been very proactive in how he has made his career happen.”
Dealer Katharine Mulherin was on hand to talk about what it means to be a gallery owner, particularly in times of economic recession. One group of students were fortunate to meet artist Jane LowBeer who led a spontaneous in-depth tour of her show “River of Life” at Loop Gallery, explaining her printmaking process and what inspires her work.
“The gallery talks with artists were very instructional and our students need that kind of exposure,” notes Westview Centennial teacher Jeannette Kogeler. “Our guide posed questions for students to think and inquire, guiding and leading them to draw some conclusions of their own. This type of thinking opens minds.”
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Curator Camilla Singh speaks to students and facilitator David Donald at MOCCA |
The Teacher's Guide and Hop: Further Enhancing Art Education
Through the School Hop, students are able to engage with contemporary art through personal contact with art professionals that they might not otherwise be able to access. Each year we receive enthusiastic feedback from teachers, so it was with great excitement that we announced the receipt of additional funding in 2007. The program has expanded to twice per year, in spring and fall, allowing for more participants, more employment for artist facilitators and the production of more educators’ resources.
The newly designed Teacher’s Guide is a convenient way to prepare students for the School Hop and help them optimize its lessons after the visit. The guide covers media including drawing, printmaking, painting, sculpture, installation, photography, film/video, new media and performance. Each section includes links to relevant feature articles published by Canadian Art.
The guide, as well as direct links to relevant Canadian Art articles, are available on our website at www.canadianart.ca/foundation/programs/schoolhop/.
On October 15, the Canadian Art Foundation hosted our first Teacher’s Hop. The tour, led by School Hop coordinator Pamila Matharu and organized by the Toronto District School Board, was designed to offer participating teachers and future participants a special preview of the galleries that their students would be visiting, as well as a chance to meet with artists, curators and gallery directors.
Teachers were able to get a sense of the School Hop and better prepare students for what they would see. This gave them the opportunity to view installation or time-based work and ask questions about contemporary art practices. Perhaps the biggest advantage for the teachers was the ability to establish relationships with the curators and gallery owners, who are accessible, free of charge, to students all year round.
As part of the School Hop, the Canadian Art Foundation provides participating schools with free transportation, arranges professional artists to lead tours, coordinates with galleries and supplies each student with a sketchbook and a copy of Canadian Art magazine. The School Hop is a central program of the Canadian Art Foundation’s educational youth outreach.
"This was more than an amazing trip, it was essential to the delivery of contemporary Canadian art in my curriculum."
—-Yolanda Mak, Ursula Franklin Academy
For more information about the School Hop, see www.canadianart.ca/foundation/programs/schoolhop/.
