[BCMA] [MEDIA RELEASE] Project connects youth with elder artists in community

Fri Sep 29 15:52:35 PDT 2017

For Immediate Release

Project connects youth with elder artists in community

Elder Artists in Classrooms Project
September 23 to November 26, 2017

September 29, 2017 – Kelowna, BC: “Most students can quickly name a local athlete or an accomplished actor or musician from here, but chances are that few, including the art students, can tell you about any of the incredible artists that have called the Okanagan Valley home,” begins artist and Mount Boucherie Secondary School art instructor Jim Elwood. “I wanted to change that.”

This realization was the starting point for Elwood to launch a new initiative in early 2017 – the Elder Artists in Classrooms Project. The project’s aim is to honour the rich history of visual arts in the Okanagan Valley and to show the importance of connecting that history to young artists.

The project partnered seven teachers in the Central Okanagan Public Schools with the work of seven Elder Artists from the Okanagan Valley region. The Elder Artists are: Lee Claremont, Bob Kingsmill, Mary Smith McCulloch, and the late artists Mary Bull, Allan Brooks, Gwen Lamont, and Daphne Odjig.

Nearly 200 art students from grades 4 to 12 learned about their Elder Artist as a person, as an artist, and as a member of the Okanagan community. Lessons focused on how each of these Elder Artists explored subject matter, colour, style, and composition to communicate their understanding of their surroundings and their community.

Students then created works of art inspired by the purpose and presentation of the Elder Artist that they studied. Sixty-five of the resulting works were selected to be included in the exhibition at the Kelowna Art Gallery.

“We are so pleased to be able to share the work that youth created as a result of this experience,” says Nataley Nagy, Executive Director. “It is clear that the students were able to learn more about and make strong connections with their Elder Artists, and hopefully a more meaningful connection with their community as well.”

Elder Artists in Classrooms Project is on view at the Kelowna Art Gallery until November 26, 2017.

The Kelowna Art Gallery is celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2017. They are located at 1315 Water Street in downtown Kelowna. For more information about current exhibitions, public programming, or special events, visit them online at www.kelownaartgallery.com or call 250-762-2226.

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Jim Elwood is an artist and art educator with over 30 years experience working within the public school system and also at the Kelowna Art Gallery. Originally from BC’s west coast, he calls the Okanagan Valley home. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Victoria, before attending the International School of Fine Art at The Banff Centre on scholarship, and finishing his art teacher training at the University of Calgary. He currently teaches at Mount Boucherie Secondary School in West Kelowna.

ARTIST BIOS
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Major Allan Brooks (1869–1946) was born in northern India and is one of the most significant wildlife artists in Canadian history. He travelled and worked throughout British Columbia and eventually settled in the Okanagan Landing area in the North Okanagan. In the early 1920s and 1930s, Brooks' work was featured in many publications, including the National Geographic and Birds of Canada. The Canadian government recently declared Major Allen Brooks a Person of National Historic Significance.

Mary Bull (1919–2010), born in Scotland, has been considered an icon in the Okanagan art scene for decades. Her big personality was echoed in her artistic practice with large canvases, bold colours, and exaggerated shapes. As well known as she was for her style of drawing and painting, she was equally well known for her portrayal of Okanagan landmarks and people of the community.

Lee Claremont is of Mohawk and Irish decent and was born in Woodstock, Ontario on the territory of the Grand River Six Nations Ontario. She received her BFA from the University of British Columbia. She is a visual story teller who is well known for her incredible colour palette, which creates a sense of emotional energy and healing. She recently represented Canada as part of the cultural program for the Pan/Am Games in Toronto and had her work in an international touring exhibition featuring works of art by women from across the globe.

Bob Kingsmill was born in Vancouver and started working with pottery in Winnipeg at a time when Winnipeg was a cultural centre in Canada. As a potter and a teacher, he contributed significantly to the development of ceramic arts in British Columbia. His intensely creative, functional, and sculptural pottery has influenced generations of potters, and students through workshops, schools, and universities.

Gwen Lamont (1909–1978) was born in Fort MacLeod in southern Alberta. She was a cherished student of Group of Seven Arthur Lismer and friend of Canadian art icon Emily Carr. Her work, through composition, brush and line work, demonstrated the depth of her understanding, love, and connection to the communities that she lived in.

Mary Smith-McCulloch was born in Scotland and graduated from the Glasgow School of Art. She was a fine arts professor at Okanagan University College for 27 years. Through her teaching and passion for art, especially printmaking, she has inspired generations of students. Her work is easily described as elegant and powerful as it demonstrates a connection to "place" and continues to be shown nationally and internationally.

Daphne Odjig (1919–2016) is a significant figure in Canadian art history. She was a ground breaker in an era when women and Indigenous artists were under appreciated. The style of work she developed was truly original in form and design, marrying Indigenous content with modern abstraction. Her sense of colour has been described as unsurpassed. Odjig received the Order of Canada and the Governor General's Award.
[image credits] Jade.jpg and Mazee.jpg

Student work from Dr. Knox Middle School

For more information, to schedule an interview with Jim Elwood, or one of the participating artists, please contact:

Media Inquiries

Joshua Desnoyers | Marketing and Events Coordinator

Kelowna Art Gallery
1315 Water Street | Kelowna, B.C. | V1Y 9R3
250-762-2226 ext. 305
josh at kelownaartgallery.com<mailto:josh at kelownaartgallery.com>  |  kelownaartgallery.com<http://www.kelownaartgallery.com>  |  facebook.com/KelownaArtGallery

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