By Amelia Epp, Program Coordinator and District Visual Arts Teacher
Grade 5 Gallery Program: The Art of Conversation comes to a close
Over the fall and winter, classes from across the school district have visited the teaching and learning exhibition The Art of Conversation at the Gordon Smith Gallery, as part of the Artists for Kids Grade 5 Gallery Program. Students' conversations and responses to the exhibition truly brought it to life!
During their visit, students took part in hands-on gallery activities and observed ways that artists explore themes of communication and conversation. They then used trace monotype printmaking and mixed media collage techniques to create a self-portrait. The finished artwork were arranged to create a collaborative class composition, depicting the students in conversation with one another!
Thank you to the teachers, students, and school district staff who visited The Art of Conversation, viewed and responded to the artwork, and explored the theme of communication through the arts with us!




Senior Secondary Artist-in-Residence Workshop: Monotype Printmaking with Mark Johnsen
Artists for Kids was thrilled to host an artist-in-residence enrichment workshop from February 21-22 led by printmaker Mark Johnsen. Mark has exhibited his artwork both nationally and internationally and is currently an Assistant Professor in Print Media at Emily Carr University of Art + Design.
Senior secondary art students nominated from across the school district explored monotype and direct impression printmaking. Students learned about collaborative and individual approaches to printing, stencil making, additive and reductive methods of printing, and more! The finished student artworks were exhibited at the Gordon Smith Gallery Lobby from February 26-29. A closing reception was attended by many proud student artists, as well as their friends and family members!
This artist residency was made possible by an Artists in Education grant, disbursed by ArtStarts in Schools. We gratefully acknowledge BC Arts Council and the Government of BC for their support of the Artists in Education grant through the Creative Futures program.




Professional Development Workshop with Artist Lexy Ho-Tai
A pack of delightful mini monsters were created at Artists for Kids on February 16 when artist and educator Lexy Ho-Tai facilitated a hands-on teachers' professional development workshop! Lexy is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work explores imaginative and tangible world-building through craft and play.
In the action-packed workshop, teachers learned techniques for designing and sculpting their own creatures using found and recycled materials. They also experimented with animating their moldable monsters using a free stop motion animation app. This multi-media arts activity was designed for the classroom and provides many opportunities for cross-curricular teaching; linking learning in visual arts, Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies, and language arts. Teachers can bring this activity to their own classrooms using the step-by-step lesson plan created by Lexy which is available on the Artists for Kids website.
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.




