November 03, 2014

Celebrating the Opening of Dwellings!

We are excited to open our doors to a new exhibition of young people''s art at the ArtStarts Gallery! Dwellings: From Seabeds to Cityscapes explores the many ways in which Kindergarten to Grade 12 students from across British Columbia have reflected on their immediate surroundings and examined the concept of dwelling—in both human and natural worlds.

Where we live—and how we inhabit that space—shapes our experiences, our culture, and even who we are. Through the artistic mediums of clay, pastels, photography and more, the various projects in Dwellings invite you to investigate how creatures in different habitats interact with the spaces they inhabit, envision the human body as a dwelling space, imagine habitations for people in the future, and delve into many other creative contemplations on where we dwell.

On October 24, we celebrated the exhibition opening with the community. We were thrilled to have many special guests in attendance: students, teachers and artists who worked together on some of the artworks on display were present to speak about how their projects came to be and their creative journeys.

Educator Carolynn Elliot and architect Danielle Berwick were joined by students from Fleetwood Park Secondary in Surrey, who worked on the Rethinking Dwelling project.

Students from Windermere Secondary in Vancouver, along with educator Laura Treloar and artist Brent Clowater talked about their experiences making on-site installations in their community surroundings as part of their multidisciplinary Sense of Place project. Artist Sandi Henrich spoke about her time working along with an educator and students from Macaulay Elementary in Victoria, as they explored the works of Emily Carr and created their own paintings of West Coast forests.

The vice-principal of Edwin S Richards Elementary in Mission, shared highlights of their school's Adopt the Sea-Kiigad Gay.Ywaay project and the connection it had with their arts based curriculum.

We were happy to see people of all ages getting involved in a collaborative art piece, painting driftwood in a unique way that represents themselves. The pieces will become part of an installation that will transform the gallery entrance in the weeks ahead.

Thanks to everyone to came out to celebrate with us. And most of all, congratulations to the students, along with the teachers and  artists they worked with to create such amazing works of art!

See more photos from the opening celebration on Facebook.

Visit the ArtStarts Gallery to see Dwellings: From Seabeds to Cityscapes for yourself. The gallery is located at 808 Richards Street (at Robson) in downtown Vancouver. We are open to the public Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday 10am-4pm. Admission is free and all ages are welcome! Learn more at artstarts.com/gallery

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