Squamish Montessori School students might be young, but they can already boast that their art is on display in a major city.
It鈥檚 all thanks to the ArtStarts program, a not-for profit organization that offers students, educators, parents and artists a broad range of programs, services and resources to promote arts and creativity for the youth of 小蓝视频
Upper elementary teacher Erin Higginbottom said the pupils have been enjoying the experience, which became possible after the school applied for a grant from the program last year.
鈥淎fter we received the grant, I met with artist Kyra Kelpin 鈥� who decided to be our artist in residence,鈥� she explained. 鈥淜yra, myself and one other teacher created the project to use the grant with and the project was Elements in Time. We introduced art history one element at a time through historical context.鈥�
Higginbottom said the project began with a look at early human art, moved on to ancient civilizations, then the Middle Ages and onward.聽
鈥淚t turned out to be a really successful program for us, and the kids loved it,鈥� she said. 鈥淜yra got to go into each class a couple times a month and she helped to develop a hands-on project for the students to complete. The kids were able to experiment with different mediums of art and able to get dirty and creative. Kyra was great at giving them the perimeter of the project but letting them be free to create anything they choose.鈥�
Near the end of the project, ArtStarts representatives asked Higginbottom if the school would like to submit something for consideration for their gallery exhibit. The theme was dwellings and the project chosen was a perspective art piece that saw students take pictures of their own faces and re-arrange them in unique ways.聽
Squamish Montessori School was one of eight schools chosen to appear in the exhibit, which opened on Oct. 24 and runs until March. Higginbottom said it was a thrill to have her students included.
鈥淚t was really wonderful to see,鈥� she said. 鈥淔rom the beginning to the end of the project, there was a lot of work and planning. We felt very fortunate to get the grant and also to be asked to put art in the exhibit. As a small school, you feel quite proud to achieve something like that.鈥�
Higginbottom added the school has applied for another ArtStarts grant and will learn later this year if it will receive it.聽
聽鈥淚t would be great if other teachers and schools were aware of these resources,鈥� she said, noting that ArtStarts is a great program and tool for educators. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a tremendous resource and the grants are something available for all schools to take advantage of. I鈥檓 hoping the word gets out and people take advantage of these programs.鈥�
She said she hopes to bring her class to the ArtStarts exhibit located on 808 Robson St. in downtown Vancouver and encourages Squamish residents to visit the free gallery.
For more information on ArtStarts, visit www.artstarts.com.聽
