NEW CONNECTIONS

The Visual Connections Project recently established a new connection with Chebucto Connections Pathways Spryfield Program. Here are some images from Pathways Spryfield After School Program. The participants in this program took part in the Creative Process Exercise called the Visual Exquisite Corpse or Drawing Extensions.

CSOSP ART WORK

Bellow is a small sample of art works created by some of the participants in the Creative Start Open Studio Program.

NEW WORKS

Here is a small sample of artworks by participants in the TIME FRAMES PROGRAM.

And it Begins

Both the Creative Start Open Studio Program and the new program, Time Frames started this week. As the programs progress, I will profile some the art works created by the participants.

The Creative Start Open Studio Program has for the first time been connected with a High School Learning Resource Centre. There are seven students coming from J.L.Ilsley High School. Along with the students from J.L.Ilsley High School there are three other youth participants in the program.

There are seven participants in the Time Frames Program which has just been profiled in The Coast Magazines' FALL ARTS PREVIEW as found below.


VISUAL ARTS

Time Frames
September 29 to November 24 (Thursdays from 1-3:30pm), Bloomfield Centre, 2786 Agricola Street, 456-0861
Not all histories worth studying are found in books and Gerard McNeil recognizes that. As the education and outreach curator at Veith Street Gallery Studio Association, McNeil's very familiar with programs that pair art and community development...but he noticed a void when it came it came to seniors in our community. So about a year ago he got to planning Time Frames, a 10-week program that would cater to adults over 55, allowing them to reflect upon their histories using art.

"I guess it came down to recognizing that there's a lot of knowledge and wisdom to be gained from working with elders in the community," says McNeil, who received a grant from the Department of Seniors' Positive Aging Fund to make Time Frames a reality. The program, which kicks off September 29, is split into past, present and future. The first portion focuses on personal and community histories. Participants will share stories about themselves, and where they're from, through paint, collages and photos. The present section will deal with issues of place, putting emphasis on specific communities. The future will bring in youth to partner with the seniors for an intergenerational skill-share, where they'll create "future maps," stepping outside the traditional idea of a map to create public installation pieces.

"There is a curriculum, but I'm really letting the seniors do their thing," says McNeil. And really, it's all about sharing. McNeil points out that the last week of each section is dedicated to a review of work and that skill sharing will play an important role, making sure that participants can help each other with specific techniques. You'll have a chance to learn from these histories, too; finished products will be exhibited at the Bloomfield Centre after Time Frames wraps. The program will also be remounted in January, for another 10-week string of reflection through art in Dartmouth. —AS