Art + Education
Art provides innovative ways of the reuse of materials, elements and products. It can also help retain the cultural and social narrative of the community—a celebration of old materials and styles of years gone by.
˚
The presence of artistic pieces establish a sense of identity: something people can attach meaning and memory to. The pieces themselves can become bearers of personal memories, and as a whole develop a general collective memory, which can serve as the foundation for identity. The sculptures allow for an experience to be shared by its viewers, both past and present. With age, the materials used will evoke a feeling of survival. Its ability to have survived brings us closer to it, not just as singular materials, but as the summation of a whole.
Why is it more beneficial for our society to promote art utilizing reused materials over entirely new ones?
Ubiquitous
2011
Bike Rack
2015
Sturgeon
2013
Pipeline
2012
Iron Horse
Light Sculpture
Record Stamp
2015
Drive-In
Garden Shed
How a piece can work for you
In the contemporary pursuit of sustainable development, communities have a lot to gain from repurposing elements and products designated for the waste stream. Circumventing the wasteful process of demolition and reconstruction alone sells the environmental benefits of reuse. Environmental benefits, combined with energy savings and the social advantage of repurposing make these pieces an essential component in creating a sustainable society.
If you are a municipality, region, developer, manufacturer, organization, or just a lover of purposeful art, here are some ways these pieces could work for you:
+ Support new vision of urban design – reducing carbon footprint
+ Introduce the complex fields of sustainability in the public realm
+ Spark discourse regarding recycled content, changing expectations regarding reclamation
+ Foster powerful connection to place
+ Facilitate identification with the community / employees
+ Serve as a continuous, participatory process of social criticism
+ Advance the connection between the patron and their environmental sensibilities
Education
˚
February 15, 2020
Workshop: Family Art Adventure
Queen’s Square Library, 1 North Square, Cambridge
Children’s Department Activity Room, 3rd Floor
Time: 11:00am–2:00pm
Join me for a tree ring print workshop for all ages. All materials provided. FREE for the whole family! Bring home your creative masterpiece! You can find more information here!
I’ve been involved in art and education for the past ten years and have the pleasure of working with community programs such as ArtsSmarts Waterloo Region in an effort foster equity and inclusion in classrooms by giving students a new set of tools to express their learning. In 2017, I teamed with a wonderful teaching team at Rockway Public School in Kitchener, Ontario to promote education through the arts with a Kindergarten class.