VISUAL CONNECTIONS PROJECT

NEW WAY TO REGISTER FOR PROGRAMS

2011-12-29T11:03:00.002-04:00

Due to technical problems with the online registration form on Veith Street Gallery Studio Associations' web site there is a new way to register online for both the Time Frames Program and the CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO PROGRAM. Just go to the link below and you will find two different registration forms, one is for the Time Frames Program and the other is for the Creative Start Open Studio Program.

http://visual-connections.blogspot.com/p/registration-forms.html

Programs for Youth and Seniors

2011-12-15T09:28:00.002-04:00

The Visual Connections Project will be offering both the CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO PROGRAM and the TIME FRAMES PROGRAM starting in January. You will find more information about both programs below.

CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO PROGRAM

The CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO PROGRAM has been developed for youth, 17 to 21 years of age with disabilities and related challenges so they can explore different types of visual arts.
Through the CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO PROGRAM, participants will decide what kinds of art materials and processes they want to explore such as drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed - media, graphic story - telling, zines, and more. Participants will be provided with one - on - one support from a Community Arts Educator. There is no cost for this program, and all art supplies are provided. At the end of the program, we will celebrate the artworks created by the youth participants, through an exhibition open to the public. Program participants may also be eligible to become a member of the Creative Spirit East Artist Collective and exhibit their art works through Veith Street Gallery Studio Association’s exhibition venues, Veith Street Gallery and the Pedway Picture Gallery. There is a limit of ten participants for this program.

DATES: Friday January 27th – March 30th, 2012
TIMES: 1:00 – 3:00PM
LOCATION: Bloomfield Centre, Room 117, 2786 Agricola Street, Halifax

For more information about the CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO PROGRAM, contact Gerard McNeil by phone at 456 – 0861 or by e-mail at visualconnectionsproj@gmail.com

To register for the CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO PROGRAM
on line go to http://visual-connections.blogspot.com/p/registration-forms.html

TIME FRAMES PROGRAM

The TIME FRAMES PROGRAM is a brand new 10-week long program that provides a vehicle for adults 55 and older with disabilities and seniors to express themselves through a community based arts program while at the same time addressing various issues facing the communities that they are a part of. In effect, this program is a community development program for under - served communities that tap into the lived experiences of community elders. There will also be an inter-generational component in the program. Elders and youth will collaborate on community based art projects that address identified needs or issues within a community.
Program participants may also be eligible to become a member of the Creative Spirit East Artist Collective and exhibit their art works at Veith Street Gallery Studio Association’s exhibition venues, Veith Street Gallery and the Pedway Picture Gallery.

DATES: Thursday January 26th - March 29th, 2012
TIMES: 1:00pm - 3:00pm
LOCATION: Alderney Gate Library, Maxine Tynes Room, 60 Alderney Drive, Dartmouth

For more information about the TIME FRAMES PROGRAM, contact Gerard McNeil by phone at 456 – 0861 or by e-mail at visualconnectionsproj@gmail.com

To register for the TIME FRAMES PROGRAM online go to http://visual-connections.blogspot.com/p/registration-forms.html

CSOSP Exhibition

2011-12-10T13:59:00.000-04:00

Here are a few images from the final exhibition of artworks created by the participants in the Creative Start Open Studio Program.

Time Frames Program Exhibition

2011-12-10T13:55:00.000-04:00

Here are a few images from the final exhibition of artworks created by the participants in the Time Frames Program (Halifax).

NEW WORKS FROM TIME FRAMES

2011-11-14T19:11:00.000-04:00

Here are some new art works from the Time Frames Program.

MORE CSOSP ART

2011-11-08T19:42:00.000-04:00

Here are some more images from the Creative Start Open Studio Program.

Re - connection

2011-11-05T16:09:00.002-03:00

Below is a small sample of the images that were created by participants of ReachABILITY'S 4 Youth program. This is the second time I have facilitated a program with ReachABILITY'S 4 Youth program.

NEW CONNECTIONS

2011-10-18T10:22:00.001-03:00

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

2011-10-18T10:05:00.000-03:00

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

NEW WORKS

2011-10-07T19:16:00.000-03:00

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

And it Begins

2011-10-01T10:16:00.003-03:00

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

Some more great news

2011-08-17T14:02:00.000-03:00

We just found out that we have received a Cultural Opportunities for Youth grant from the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage to offer the CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO PROGRAM. This program will be offered in north end Halifax in 2012.

Programs to Watch For

2011-08-17T13:50:00.003-03:00

This fall the Visual Connections Project will be offering two programs, the CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO PROGRAM and the TIME FRAMES PROGRAM.

The CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO PROGRAM is a ten - week - long visual arts open studio program developed specifically for youth with disabilities, between the ages of 17 and 21.Through the CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO PROGRAM participants will decide what kinds of art materials and processes they want to explore such as drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed - media, graphic story - telling, zines, and more.

DATES: Friday September 23rd - December 2nd, 2011
TIMES: 1:30 - 3:30PM
LOCATION: William Spry Recreation Centre, 10 Kidston Road, Spryfield

To register for this program click on the link below

http://www.veithstreetgallery.org/CEPREGFORMS2.HTML

The TIME FRAMES PROGRAM is a brand new 10
week long program that provides a vehicle for adults
55 and older with disabilities and seniors to express
themselves through community based arts programs
that will also addresses various issues facing the
communities they live within. In effect this program is
a community development program for under served
communities that taps into the lived experiences of
community elders. There will also be an inter
generational component in the program in which
elders and youth collaborate on a community based
art project to address identified needs or issues
within a community. The program is structured
around three components that explore the past,
present and future.

DATES: Thursday September 15th - November 17th, 2011
TIMES: 1:00pm - 3:30pm
LOCATION: Seniors Lounge, Bloomfield Centre, 2786 Agricola Street, Halifax

To register for this program click on the link below

http://www.veithstreetgallery.org/CEPREGFORMS.HTML

Amazing News

2011-07-20T10:38:00.000-03:00

We just found out that we have received a grant from the Nova Scotia Department of Seniors Positive Aging Fund, to offer the Time Frames program for adults 55+ with disabilities and seniors. We will announce the location s for the programs in the very near future.

Drip and Draw at MOSH

2011-07-14T11:36:00.000-03:00

We were back at MOSH (Mobile Outreach Street Health) to offer participants of the MOSH drop in program an opportunity to make some art. We had two centres set up, one for drip or action painting and the other a drawing centre. Approximately seven people contributed to the drip painting and two or three people created drawings.

New Connection with Options

2011-07-06T19:45:00.001-03:00

The images below come from a team building workshop held at Options Work Activity.The almost thirty participants who created the large scale drawing / collage collaborated in three teams working on one of three sections. After fifteen minutes I had the three teams move to a different section of the drawing. This process was repeated until everyone had contributed to all three sections. I then brought all three sections together to create one large drawing.

This workshop is part of the Community Arts Collaboration Program.

Great News

2011-05-31T14:14:00.000-03:00

We just received news from the Chebucto West Community Health Board, that we have received a Community Development Grant to offer the Creative Start Open Studio program for youth 17 - 21 years of age with disabilities and related challenges.

The dates and times for this ten week long program will be announced in the next few weeks.

New Connection

2011-04-30T10:32:00.002-03:00

On April 13th the Visual Connections Project offered a program for MOSH participants. MOSH is the Mobile Outreach Street Health unit of the Northend Community Health Clinic in Halifax. Each Wednesday afternoon MOSH offers programs to those experiencing homelessness and related issues. The program that we offered was a non threatening drawing program. We invited the five participants to explore a visual exquisite corps. Essentially what happens is that everyone starts a drawing, it does not matter what the subject matter is but just to draw something. After four minuets the participants passed the drawing to the next person, and either continue to work on the drawing or start a new one on the same piece of paper. This process continues until everyone has contributed to the drawing and participants receive their original drawing. Overall the session went very well and MOSH has asked us to come back in the very near future.

Below is an image from the session.

GOOD NEWS AND NEW PROGRAMS

2011-03-04T14:35:00.000-04:00

It has been some time since we have posted anything on this blog. This is because we were waiting to find out what kind of funding, if any, we were going to receive from our primary funder. Well we now know and the Visual Connections Project has finally received its own funding separate from the VSGSA Gallery Programs. This funding now provides a more stable foundation to offer the Creative Start Open Studio Program and the newly developed Time Frames Program. But the funding is not enough to offer a full time Creative Start Open Studio Program so we will look into a number of other funding sources over the next couple of months.

We are also working on rolling out two new professional development programs, the first is the Mix: Integrating the Visual Arts into Adult Education and the other program is called the Creative Shift Workshop: An Arts Informed Human Services Program. Check back soon for more details.

Creative Start Open Studio Program Exhibition

2010-11-26T19:32:00.000-04:00

Here are some images from the exhibition of artworks by participants in the Creative Start Open Studio Program. This program was made possible by a grant from the Gordon Foundation.

Art Works from CSOSP

2010-11-06T13:22:00.000-03:00

The images below are a small example of the art works created by participants in the Creative Start Open Studio program.

THE CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO PROGRAM

2010-09-11T19:49:00.000-03:00

We now have an new online registration form for the CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO program.

To register just click on the link below

http://www.veithstreetgallery.org/VCP.html

NEW CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO PROGRAM

2010-08-21T14:19:00.002-03:00

The CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO PROGRAM is a ten - week - long visual arts open studio program developed specifically for youth who have experienced mental health issues or are presently experiencing a mental illness, between the ages of 17 and 21.

Through the CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO PROGRAM participants will decide what kinds of art materials and processes they want to explore such as drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed - media, graphic story - telling, zines, and more. Participants will be provided with one - on - one support from a Community Arts Educator. There is no cost for this program, and all art supplies are provided. At the end of the program we will celebrate the artworks created by the program participants, through an exhibition open to the public at the Pedway Picture Gallery. Program participants may also be eligible to become a member of the Creative Spirit East Artist Collective and exhibit their art works through Veith Street Gallery Studio Association’s exhibition venues, Veith Street Gallery and the Pedway Picture Gallery.

Please Note: There is a limit of ten participants for this program.

Dates: Friday, September 17th, 24th, October 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th (Other dates to be announced)

Times: 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm

Location: Alderney Library, Starr Room, Dartmouth

Arts Engage Symposium / World Studio

2010-06-21T19:13:00.001-03:00

On June 20th I facilitated the World Studio at the Arts Engage Symposium. The World Studio is a variation of the World Cafe facilitation process. Some fourty five participants from the symposium took part in the process. The process enables the cross pollination of ideas and concepts around community arts.

Here are some images from the session.

Great News

2010-05-11T19:59:00.001-03:00

We just received news from the Gordon Foundation of Halifax, that we were successful in receiving a grant to offer the Creative Start Open Studio program for youth who have been experiencing mental health issues and mental illness.

The dates and times for this ten week long program will be announced in the next couple of weeks.

CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO PROGRAM FINAL EXHIBITION

2010-02-27T18:30:00.004-04:00

HERE ARE SOME IMAGES FROM THE FINAL EXHIBITION OF THE CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO PROGRAM.

CREATIVE START OPEN STUDIO PROGRAM FINAL EXHIBITION

2010-02-27T18:14:00.005-04:00

Here are some more images of the exhibition of artworks by the participants in the Creative Start Open Studio Program.

CSOSP COY GALLERY

2010-02-16T19:41:00.003-04:00

Here is a sample of artworks by the participants in the Creative Start Open Studio Program.

FIRST UPDATE OF THE YEAR

2010-01-13T19:51:00.003-04:00

Well it has been some time since I have sent out an update on the Visual Connections Project activities.

Starting on Tuesday January 18th the Visual Connections Project will be offering an art program for youth from The Mulgrave Park community in Halifax.

Working with two other Community Arts Educators / Leaders I will be co - facilitating a Community Arts Based Training program through NSCAD University's School of Extended Learning starting in September 2010.

I will be sending more info as these programs progress.

CSOSP GALLERY

2009-11-07T14:02:00.001-04:00

CSOSP GALLERY

2009-10-28T19:38:00.023-03:00

Creative Start Open Studio Program is Growing

2009-07-29T09:38:00.003-03:00

We just got the word that we have received a Cultural Opportunities for Youth grant from the NS Department of Tourism ,Culture and Heritage. This grant will allow us to offer another Creative Start Open Studio Program for youth with disabilities and related challenges. This open studio program will be offered in the Spyfield Area and will start in November 2009 for ten weeks. We will be posting the dates and location for the open studio program in the very near future

Creative Start Open Studio Program

2009-07-09T09:40:00.001-03:00

The Creative Start Open Studio Program will be offered to youth with disabilities ages 17 - 21 years of age. In this program youth will decide what types of art materials and processes they would like to work with. So if a youth wants to explore drawing for five weeks and painting for another five then we will facilitate this request. At the end of the ten week open studio program we will celebrate the accomplishments of the participants through an exhibition of their art works at Veith Street Gallery

Dates: September 11, 2009 to November 13, 2009
Times: 12:30pm to 3:30pm
Location: Veith House Community Centre, Board Room
3115 Veith Street, Halifax

For information about registration contact Gerard McNeil by phone at
456 - 0861 or by email visualconnectionsproj@gmail.com

Some Great News

2009-05-22T20:10:00.004-03:00

We received some great news this week from the Halifax Peninsula Community Health Board that we have been awarded a grant to offer the Creative Start Open Studio for youth with disabilities.

This program will be different from the Creative Start Workshop we have been offering in the past, in that the open studio program will be more self directed. Essentially the way it will work is each youth in the program will decide on a medium or mediums he/she wants to explore during the ten - week period of the program. We will then provide the art materials and any training required for the youth participants.

The program will start in September and run to November, and will be offered at Veith House were Veith Street Gallery is housed.

We will be sending out information on how to register for the program in June and July.

Creative Start Workshop Participant Exhibition

2009-04-12T20:38:00.003-03:00

Here are some images from the final exhibition of the Creative Start Workshop participant exhibition at the Pedway Picture Gallery on March 14th.

Creative Start Workshop Winter 2009 Update

2009-02-18T14:06:00.006-04:00

Here are some artworks created by participants in the Creative Start Workshop. We are only in week two so there will be more work to profile.

Youth on the Radar Project

2008-12-30T13:07:00.003-04:00

Here is some exciting news, VSGSA - Visual Connections Project will be part of the Youth on the Radar Project (YOR). The YOR Project is a crime prevention program for youth 12 - 17 years of age that utilizes the creative arts. The youth participants will come from J.L.Illsley High School and its feeder schools in the Spryfield area (South West Halifax).

VSGSA - Visual Connections Project Education and Outreach Curator will function as the project manager, Blogger, as well as instructor for part of the media arts component. The other components of the project include street dance and mural/street.

There will be a new blog site developed for the project.

The Creative Start Workshop Fall 2008

2008-10-30T19:42:00.011-03:00

The images below are from the Creative Start Workshop. This workshop is designed for youth with disabilities and is five weeks in length. We will offer the workshop again in the new year.

Update on In Our Voice: Visual Conversations

2008-10-30T19:36:00.002-03:00

After trying to get the the In Our Voice: Visual Conversations workshop off the ground we had to cancel it because we could not get any youth participants. We were going to bring youth and elders who have mental illness or mental health issues together to address various issues each generation have or will experience. We were going to use the visual arts as a vehicle for dealing with these issues. We are now going to apply for funding from another source to work with just the elders.

Update

2008-08-26T13:49:00.002-03:00

It has been quite awhile since a posting. In part because we have been procrastinating and also I have been very busy getting ready for learning programs coming up this fall. There is both the Creative Start Workshop and the In Our Voice: Visual Conversations program. We are also getting ready for number of arts festivals and the Tools for life conference. And finally we are also working with a number of other community arts educators to develop a proposal for community arts education program that will be submitted to a number of universities to see if this program is feasible.

Update

2008-04-26T07:00:00.002-03:00

Just received news from the 4C's Foundation that the In Our Voice: Visual Conversations project has received funding. The In Our Voice: Visual Conversations workshop is a partnership between Veith Street Gallery Studio Association, Visual Connections Project and the Canadian Mental Health Association, Halifax - Dartmouth Branch.
The workshop will be eight weeks in length. Participants in the workshop will consist of youth who are dealing with mental health issues and people fifty years and over who are also dealing with mental health issues. The youth participants and the elders will pair up with each other. Each week the facilitators will pose a question dealing mental health issues. The pairings will then respond to this question using various art materials and processes. After the eight week workshop there will be an exhibition of the art works at Veith Street Gallery.

New Web Site and Anniversary

2008-03-08T19:30:00.004-04:00

Veith Street Gallery Studio Association has a new web site. The site is still under construction but should be completed in two weeks.

www.veithstreetgallery.org

Veith Street Gallery Studio Association is also celebrating its 5th Anniversary on March 20th and 22nd.

UPDATE

2008-03-08T19:02:00.005-04:00

Well it has been some time since created a posting, and a lot has happened since December 2007. Veith Street Gallery Studio Association through the Visual Connections Project, has now established partnerships and collaborations with organizations and institutions such as NSCAD University, who has established the new Community Service Learning program, APSEA (Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority) and Nova Scotia Provincial Autism Centre. We will be offering educational programs for both APSEA and the Nova Scotia Provincial Autism Centre. The program we will be offering the Nova Scotia Provincial Autism Centre will tie into a research project around art and autism. Below are some images from an exercise that I lead for participants of a program called ACEE (Adults in Community Education and Employment). We may be working more closely with this program in the future by offering the Creative Start Open Studio Program to ACEE participants.

More Good News

2007-12-03T14:28:00.000-04:00

Last week we received $2200.00 dollars from the Dartmouth Community Health Board - Community Development Fund to deliver the CREATIVE START WORKSHOP for youth with disabilities living in Dartmouth Nova Scotia. We are still in the planning stage and have not secured a location for the program. With this said, however we are hoping to begin the program in February 2008.

Creative Start Workshop Fall 2007

2007-12-03T13:39:00.000-04:00

Well the very first CREATIVE START WORKSHOP offered for youth with disabilities finished with a public exhibition of the four participants artworks. This workshop was as much a learning experience for as it was for the participants. Much of the learning came not from the teaching but the administration of the program. Here are some images created by the participants of the CREATIVE START WORKSHOP.

CREATIVE ST(ART) WORKSHOP UPDATE

2007-11-03T18:59:00.000-03:00

The images presented here are a small sample of the artworks created by the CREATIVE START WORKSHOP participants.

A thought

2007-10-11T20:09:00.000-03:00

WE SHOULD BE EDUCATING EVERYONE FOR THE UNKNOWN BECAUSE THE UNKNOWN IS WHERE THE ART IS.

UPDATE

2007-08-10T08:31:00.000-03:00

We have received news from the Canada Council for the Arts regarding funding for the In Our Voice: An Oral History Video Project. Unfortunately we were not successful in securing the funds to produce this video.

EXCITING NEWS

2007-08-01T07:55:00.000-03:00

We have received funding from the Capital District Health Authority, Cobequid Community Health Board to offer the Creative St(art) Workshop. The workshop has been developed for youth with disabilities 17 – 21 years old. We will post the artwork here on this blog after the workshop. The dates for the workshop have not been determined as such, but will be will be held September 2007 to December 2007.

New Gallery

2007-07-13T08:07:00.000-03:00

Veith Street Gallery Studio has a new satellite gallery called the Pedway Picture Gallery. The Pedway Picture Gallery is located in Dartmouth Nova Scotia on the Alderney Landing pedway. For more information about the gallery call 446-6010

UPDATE

2007-05-18T08:03:00.000-03:00

Here is an update on The Visual Connections Project.

Veith Street Gallery Studio, The Visual Connections Project is pursuing funding for a video project in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association, Halifax-Dartmouth Branch. The video is entitled In Our Voice: An Oral History Video Project. The video will profile older mental health consumers telling their stories of how they survive their mental illness. If The Visual Connections Project and Canadian Mental Health Association, Halifax-Dartmouth Branch partnership is successful in acquiring the funds for the video project, the production for the video will begin in September 2007 and completed June 2008. My role will be that of Creative Director / Instructor working with individuals who have very limited, if no experiences working with video.

A New Visual Connection

2007-02-19T09:02:00.000-04:00

The Visual Connections Project is always interested in connecting with groups and organizations whose goals are to provide a space where anyone no matter what their abilities can make and promote art. The following images come from the Halfax ATC Group, ATC (Artist Trading Card) Jam. An ATC Jam is when everyone in the group collectively creates ATC's.

New Program Structure

2007-02-07T18:09:00.000-04:00

There are changes coming to The Visual Connections Project. The Visual Connections Project will now offer two routes to learning through the Community Education Programs and the Professional Development Programs. The Community Education Programs consists of The CREATIVE START DAY PROGRAM and THE VISUAL CONNECTIONS INSTITUTE. The Professional Development Programs consists of The ARTWORKS Seminar Series, SHIFT: Developing Communities of Practice through the Creative Visual Arts, and the Creative Process Facilitation.

COMMUNITY EDUCATION PROGRAMS

CREATIVE ST(ART) DAY PROGRAM (Workshop)

THE VISUAL CONNECTIONS INSTITUTE

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

The ARTWORKS Seminar Series

SHIFT: Developing Communities of Practice
through the Creative Visual Arts

Creative Process Facilitation

Broken Lines: Dealing with Conflict

2007-01-01T09:16:00.000-04:00

The images profiled here come from an exercise that I facilitated with members of Nova Scotia chapter of the Canadian Society for Training and Development. The exercise was called Broken Lines.

Through this, interactive exercise I invited the participants to engage in an arts based alternative process for dealing with conflict. This exercise only scratched the surface of a more holistic approach to dealing with conflict. I should also say that this process works best with a party or group who have already established a working relationship or rapport with one another.

I asked the group to move and mix about, so people who may know each other are not working with one another. This I felt will ensure a more authentic experience.
I asked the participants to reflect on a past or recent conflict they have been involved with, either as someone in conflict, or as a mediator.

Then in complete silence, using the black pens and white card stock provided, I asked the participants to represent this conflict through drawing. (I asked the part
-icipants to respect this silence, Because the vocalization process utilizes a different part of the brain than visualization and drawing, talking would become not only distracting to other participants but also yourself). I asked the participants to draw what this conflict felt like as they where going through it, or are still dealing with it.

participants spent two minutes on the drawing. I then signaled the participants to pass their drawing to the person on their left. I then asked the participants to spend some time with this drawing reflecting on the essance of the conflict in the drawing, and then add to the drawing. This process continued until everyone in the group had spent two minutes working on each drawing.

This exercise became a real example of a visual connection. The participants communicated through images instead of words, and as you can see the visual dialogue became very rich.

NEW PROGRAMS

2006-09-04T15:51:00.000-03:00

Here are two new programs to be offered through The Visual Connections Project, the learning division of Veith Street Gallery Studio. The first program called the Creative Start Day Program, is a visual arts / vocational day program for persons with disabilities. The other program is the ArtWorks Seminar Series, is professional development program for persons working the human services field.

THE VISUAL CONNECTIONS INSTITUTE

2006-05-07T13:40:00.000-03:00

The visual image has been with the human species for thousands of years. The cave paintings and petroglyphs found around the world, illustrated the hunt and religious or spiritual practices. Today the visual image numbers in the thousands, and are distributed through television, print media, galleries, and the Internet.

In this interconnected world the visual image has been, and is used to educate the public, promote worldviews, deceive citizens, sell products, inspire, and heal. Here in lies the focus of this learning event, recognizing both the strengths and limitations of the visual image in our daily lives.

Using the World Studio Process, a variation on the World Café. The Visual Connections Institute will examine how the visual image is changing or altering three areas of our lives

• Social Change Through the Creative Visual Arts

• The Visual Arts and Creativity in the Workplace.

• Health and Well being Though the Visual Arts

In the World Café Process, dialogue (face to face communication) is how ideas are shared and cross – pollinated. In the World Studio Process the concept of dialogue is expanded on, the visual image becomes the primary vehicle for communicating ideas and concepts that matter.

Participants will be invited to visit the three different studios. In each studio, one of three different topics is explored through the creative visual arts. In each studio a creative facilitator will provide participants Once the groups have had an opportunity to examine and explore a topic, the groups will then split up and join others in the other studios. This will allow for more cross - pollination of ideas and images.