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About 120 students from Howe Sound Secondary and Squamish Elementary schools gathered to celebrate the end of a beginning last week.
Officials from Vancouver Biennale, a two-year-long initiative that promises to raise artistic expression to a new level in Squamish in 2014 and 2015, also were present to showcase the work done by students over the previous few weeks as part of the Biennale鈥檚 Big Ideas Education Program.
To kick off the program under the overall Biennale theme of 鈥淥pen Borders/Crossroads,鈥� students in grades 6 and 7 at Squamish Elementary were asked to write haiku poems celebrating their own cultural backgrounds. Groups of three Howe Sound Secondary art students were then asked to collaborate on the creation of panels showcasing those students鈥� cultures as well as their own.
The finished panels were then silk-screened onto long, white, tablecloth-shaped tapestries that were hung on a wall for all to see during a ceremony last Thursday (May 15) in an outdoor courtyard at the high school.
Visiting artist Laura Barron worked with arts teachers Nathalie Boisvert, Matt Parker, Genevieve Taylor and Selene Johnson on the inquiry-based project, meant to help the students听 use art to express their personal backgrounds. Students from 30 distinct backgrounds 鈥� from Squamish Nation to European to South Asian to Mongolian 鈥� created the images that appear on the tapestries.
Cynthia Lewis, who provided the Squamish Nation blessing at the event, said the sharing of cultures is one way to promote understanding and healing among people of various backgrounds.
鈥淥ur people are still coming through a hard time, and it鈥檚 all of us coming together as one that鈥檚 going to help continue the healing from that,鈥� she said.
Among those present for the ceremony were Barrie Mowatt, the founder and president of Vancouver Biennale, and Katherine Tong, Vancouver Biennale education program director.
At last Thursday鈥檚 event, a teacher walked around the gathering and asked the students to state theirs or their family鈥檚 places of origin. Afterward, Mowatt said, 鈥淥pen Borders/Crossroads Vancouver, Crossroads/Squamish, is the theme of this year鈥檚 Vancouver Biennale and with 30 countries represented, and you really personify that.
鈥淚 hope you embrace your heritage and celebrate the freedoms you enjoy, because as we all know, not all freedoms are enjoyed everywhere.鈥�
Future projects encouraging local youths to share their 鈥淏ig Ideas鈥� are planned. As well, the first pair of visiting 鈥渦p-and-coming鈥� artists who will spend a few weeks in Squamish as part of the Vancouver Biennale鈥檚 artist-in-residence program in 2014 and 2015 are set to arrive on Monday (May 26), said local Biennale liaison Krisztina Egyed. As well, about 200 volunteers will be needed to help out when world-renowned Brazilian artist Vik Muniz arrives in July to create an outdoor, public work of art for display in Squamish.
鈥淭his is going to bring thousands of visitors to this city,鈥� Mowatt said of Muniz鈥檚 upcoming visit.
For more information, including a volunteer application form, visit www.vancouverbiennale.com, or see the organization鈥檚 Facebook page at www.facebook.com/VancouverBiennale.
