March 12, 2015

ArtStarts Showcase and Conference 2015

This year, the ArtStarts Showcase and Conference took place from February 25 to 27, 2015 in Vancouver, BC. We were happy to see many returning delegates and to meet new arts champions from across the province — and around the world! We were thrilled to host delegates from all corners of British Columbia, as well as Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and even Singapore. This year 90 delegates attended, representing 47 school districts and 12 community arts organizations.

Throughout the three-day event, delegates discovered many talented artists available to perform for young people, met artists face-to-face in the Contact Room, participated in hands-on professional development workshops, and connected with fellow delegates at social events.

Thirty performing artists, representing a range of cultures and artistic disciplines, took to the stage to present excerpts from their performances for young people. Delegates were joined by student audiences from local schools, so they could really feel what the show might be like when performed in a school setting. Both students and delegates were often called upon by the artists to join them on stage and be part of the action.

On the opening day of the event, delegates were treated to an inspiring keynote address by Melanie Rothschild, artist and author of The Art of Mistakes: Unexpected Painting Techniques and the Practice of Creative Thinking. Melanie shared the story of her own creative journey and revealed some of the lessons she learned along the way as she grew to be an artist. Most intriguing was how so many pivotal moments in her artistic development started with seemingly disastrous mistakes, such as dropping a gallon of paint all over the floor. Melanie pointed out that when it comes to mistakes, we're all experts, yet fear of making mistakes often holds us back from trying new things. Her keynote explored the "sweet spot" of giving young people an opportunity to engage in creative thinking — a place where there aren't rigid answers about right and wrong, a place where students get to start developing a muscle for creative thinking in general, and a place where the practice of exploring ideas can flourish.

After watching showcases, delegates had the opportunity to meet with some performing artists in a more intimate setting in the Contact Room, which was a new addition to the ArtStarts Showcase and Conference this year. Delegates and artists came together for conversations about how they might to work together in various school districts around the province.

In the afternoons, delegates and artists participated in hands-on professional development workshops on a wide range of topics:

• Artists in the Classroom: Writing a Successful Grant Application
• Arts Integration through Music and Theatre
• Born to Sing and Dance
• Don't Yuck My Yum!: Creativity is Messy
• Gallery as Classroom, Classroom as Gallery
• Media that Matters: Technology, Creativity and Empowerment
• Mind Craft: Innovative Word Play, Poetic Forms and Story Starters for Inspired, Improvised and Improved Writing
• Our Story: a Transformational Journey of a Catchment School to an Emerging Arts-Based School
• Transferring Everyday Objects into Art: Printmaking Techniques

Each workshop was unique, but all encouraged participants to get involved, experiment and think about how they might apply what they learned back in their own classrooms and communities.

Everyone had the chance to socialize further over lunches, as well as at afternoon receptions, where one lucky person won the draw for ArtStarts Dollars (to use towards a performance, workshop or artist fees) and another won a set of beautiful silk scarves designed by Melanie Rothschild.

Dinner and Discovery was another social event where delegates and artists mingled, with the beautiful backdrop of Vancouver's False Creek. The evening was designed by Here There, a Vancouver-based studio focused on multi-sensory event design, and proved to be full of delight and wonder. From collecting cutlery from a windchime-like cascade of hanging forks to injecting a syringe full of flavour into the first course, it was an evening of surprises and experiments. It was great to hear much laughter and merriment throughout the event.

We've also posted lots more photos from the ArtStarts Showcase and Conference for you to enjoy:

• Photos of Showcases
• Photos of Workshops
• Photos of Special Events: Contact Room, Receptions, Dinner and Discovery

Thanks to all the delegates who attended the ArtStarts Showcase and Conference 2015, the artists who performed on stage as well as those in the Contact Room, and to everyone who made this event possible, including backstage crew, staff, volunteers and our funders: BC Arts Council, Canadian Heritage and Canada Council.

We look forward to discovering how the arts will come alive for young people across BC in the upcoming school year!

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