听
When five-year-old Tushar Das was asked to explain the sense of touch, he got out charcoal pastels.听
He smooshed them onto the paper, feeling the silky residue on his fingers. He scraped lines and squiggles in the dark mass accumulating on the sheet in front of him. This was what touch meant to him.听
Last year, Mamquam Elementary School embarked on a journey, an exploration of infusing arts into all learning components. The school was selected from among 200 in B.C. to be a part of the new initiative called ArtStarts. The three-year program, directed by the organization Infusion: Arts in Education, integrates art into all classes.听
Now in the program鈥檚 second year, the school is focusing on the theme 鈥渟torytelling,鈥� music teacher Anne Thomson said. The Infusion program and school have paired with Bowen Island visual artist Andrea Klaan to weave the concept into teaching.听
The kindergarten students are keeping daily visual journals. In the Grade5/6 class鈥檚 study on countries and cultures, the students are creating travel brochures on a country of their choosing. They will then market the 鈥渂est trip ever鈥� to their class and have created a piece of artwork that uses the country鈥檚 traditional styles.听
鈥淲e have a group of boys doing Brazil. They are creating a film of soccer tricks to go with their project,鈥� Thomson said. 鈥淭hese are the kind of connections they are starting to make on their own.鈥�
On Wednesday (May 28), the school is hosting MOMA 鈥� the Museum of Mamquam Art. The gymnasium will transform into an art gallery with pieces from each student in the school on display. The exhibit will showcase a variety of multimedia work, Thomson said. The Grade 5/6 students鈥� travel booths and brochures will also be on display.听
鈥淭here is acrylic on canvas, maskmaking, pastels; it is a wide, wide range of mediums,鈥� she said.
The event, which runs from 2 to 7 p.m., is open to the public. For more information visit www.sd48mamquam.org. For information on Infusion: Arts in Education visit www.aartsinfusion.ca.
