Edmonton’s city hall is about to be overrun by a bunch of teachers and students, many of whom come from St. Albert. It’s not a protest but rather a demonstration of the group’s creative talents.
Inside Out is an art exhibition that features works that explore the artists’ personal journeys while reflecting on the importance of the arts in the development of self, culture and as a “discipline of rigor,” according to the poster advertising the show. This will mark the sophomore efforts for at least one of the participants.
“We did it last year for the first time,” said Colleen Hewitt, art teacher at Paul Kane High School. “[My students] love doing this kind of thing. It’s such a nice opportunity for them to get their work out into the community.”
The exhibition is sponsored by the Alberta Teachers’ Association Fine Arts Council but focuses on art teachers and students from the metropolitan Edmonton area. It features up to five student submissions, along with one teacher piece, from each school.
“Most schools have five pieces. Some have three or four depending on the school.”
There are only nine schools of all grade ranges involved with the effort but the local representation is much stronger in this city with six St. Albert schools participating. Along with Paul Kane, the other schools include Bellerose and Outreach high schools, Elmer S. Gish, W.D. Cuts and Leo Nickerson.
“There’s a lot from St. Albert!”
Hewitt said that it’s a lot of fun and it also serves to offer the artists an object lesson in philanthropy.
All of the work is the same size – 50 x 50 centimetres – and all will be available for purchase at $150 each. The proceeds will go to support programming at iHuman Youth Society, the Edmonton-based agency that “engages Edmonton’s traumatized youth who exhibit high-risk lifestyles – to foster positive personal development and social change,” according to its website at www.ihumanyouthsociety.org.
“They do really cool stuff,” Hewitt said. Last year’s show brought in $1,500 for that organization.
The Inside Out Art Exhibition opens with a reception tomorrow evening from 5 to 8 p.m. There will be refreshments and many artists will be in attendance. The event is free. The show continues on afterward only for a few days until Sunday, February 23.
The show will take place in the main foyer of Edmonton City Hall, located at 1 Sir Winston Churchill Square in downtown Edmonton.
