On Day 3 of the 2016 Summer Institute for Art Educators, organized by the AGO and the CSEA, we started off with a fascinating talk with the Chief Curator for the A.G.O., Stephanie Smith. Then we went up into the galleries to do a workshop with the wonderful Education Officer, Bob Phillips in the exhibition Communal Courtyard by Song Dong.
This exhibit explores changes in society and changes in spaces and we looked at how students could engage with this show through the different concepts of space, and framing, and ideas of personal versus public.
Then we went on to discuss how we can work with our students with some other challenging and engaging pieces, first, a gallery favourite: Kent Monkman's The Academy.
Next was Bonnie Devine's Battle for the Woodlands. The artist used a massive old map of upper and lower Canada that was previously installed and painted on top of it to show an Anishinaabe understanding of the map and address issues of colonialism - specifically around the great lakes. The artist installed work in front of the mural as well as painting animals running away across the walls leading into the other spaces. It was great to see this work up close and be part of the space the work was created in.
In the afternoon, we made our way down to The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery. We had some fun interacting with work in one of their current exhibits, Franz Erhard Walther: Call to Action. As the title suggests, the works are activated by the viewer and we got a chance to approach works of art in a playful way.
We also checked out the video-based work of another German artist currently showing at the Powerplant: Ulla von Brandenburg. For more, have a look at the twitter updates about the week's adventures here, #AGOCSEA and check out the A.G.O. Schools and Teachers Facebook page here.
- Patrick
