ENTERING THE WATERS
Visual Art and Creative Writing
Huntsville High School
May 30 - June 4, 2010
Project Coordinator: Jamie-Lee New
Entering the Waters was an ArtsSmarts pilot project at Huntsville High School - the first time that Kaleidoscope has worked at the secondary level. Along with community partners Muskoka Lakes Music Festival, Creative Paths, Huntsville Festival of the Arts and Arts Council of Muskoka, Kaleidoscope engaged visual artist Beverley Hawksley to work with Grade 10 English students and teacher Carrie Lewis. The project used visual arts to help students engage more deeply in the poetry unit of the ENG2D and ENG2P courses.
The BIG QUESTION addressed in this project was "what does it mean to live creatively?"
The project began with students creating a vessel (bowl, pot, container) using balloons and plaster. Beverley Hawksley led the students in this activity, demonstrating the technique but allowing the students to discover their own process. The vessel was seen as a metaphor for the container that holds the creative process.
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Students prepare their balloons while Beverley demonstrates the plaster techniqe
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Students (and teacher) work on the structure of the vessels
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Once the structure was complete and dried, students used papier mache, collage and paint to decorate their vessels.
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Completed vessels
Once the students finished their vessels, they were given the opportunity to hold, observe, and respond in writing to each of their classmates' pieces. In addition, special guests were invited to the school to provide feedback to the students. The vessels were passed around the circle, and each person was asked to write a word or phrase on a slip of paper and place it inside. When each vessel was returned to its owner, it was filled with ideas. Students were then asked to create a variety of poems based on their artwork.
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Students and guests respond to the artwork
Special guests included Gayle Dempsey, Muskoka Lakes Music Festival; Claude Doughty, Mayor of Huntsville; Carolyne Wagland, Creative Paths; Col Mitchell, Huntsville Art Society and Suzanne Riverin, Huntsville Festival of the Arts.
Some excerpts from student journals:
"Today was the first day that our class started the ArtsSmarts poetry week. I was a little nervous because art was never my strongest subject... I was surprised how much I enjoyed the art. I found creating my bowl with my balloon and plaster to be fun. In the beginning of the class our art teacher told us not to start with a plan for our bowls, but rather let our balloons/bowls pick a plan for us. Some of the students and I found her humorous when she said, "listen to the bowl," but I then found myself plastering strips on my balloon and unknowingly forming a pattern. Therefore, I have learned today to listen and try other people's initiation and not to disagree with something until you try it."
"Yesterday, I enjoyed putting tissues on the bowl. It was fun and it truly showed my true colours of who I am. The way I put them on was fully my hands, not my mind."
"Yesterday, I felt that the day was fun but at the same time weird. We do not often get to do crafts where we do not have specific guidelines to follow. It was fun "being one with the balloon" and we had a good experience. We were taught to listen to our balloon and to not to try to control the outcome."
"Yesterday was the most fun of the three days so far. I found it fun to connect with the vessel, and make it beautiful. It was interesting and new, and felt like a relief from everyday work."
Special thanks to Carrie Lewis (teacher), Beverley Hawksley (artist), Gayle Dempsey, Gary Froude and Jamie New (Muskoka Lakes Music Festival), Carolyne Wagland (Creative Paths), Arts Council of Muskoka, Huntsville Festival of the Arts, Huntsville High School, and, of course, the students!