Re - connection

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

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

Some more great news

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.