The T.D.S.B. and the A.G.O. are working together to enhance art education! This collaboration makes sense in so many ways and is based around the Weston Family Learning Centre. Find out more at the A.G.O. site, here. I am thrilled to hear about this great development in art education and look forward to seeing what the partnership brings.
The A.G.O. is such a fantastic resource and can help educators make the curriculum more engaging and interactive for students. As a former gallery guide at the A.G.O., I have witnessed this first-hand and have always felt that more students deserve to benefit from what the gallery has to offer.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
"Imagination is the active ingredient of thinking."
As this article from The Star suggests, when finances get tight, art is the first program to get hit. The article provides some insightful arguments that show the true value of art education.
First off, Sara Diamond (president of OCAD) argues "that the benefits of such institutions far outweigh their costs" and explains that "we hear from employers across all sectors, ‘we need your students. They’ve got the thinking and skills to turn around big problems.’”
Second, John Kissick (director of the School of Fine Arts and Music at the University of Guelph) points out that "in terms of the skill sets needed in the marketplace today, that a studio arts education is as good as it gets outside of the professions."
Then Luis Jacob (a Toronto based artist) makes a great point: “an art school is really important for giving young people a community — a set of peers all trying to create their artistic identities together."
Having been part of such a community at Sheridan College, in the Illustration program, I can attest to the importance of social interaction for the arts. Good ideas take collaboration and criticism to flourish. Innovations build on one another in a community. This leads to critical and creative thinking abilities, confidence, and true grit (See earlier post).
The title quote from this blog sums it up well, from a great thinker of our age, Alan Fletcher:
"Imagination is the active ingredient of thinking."
First off, Sara Diamond (president of OCAD) argues "that the benefits of such institutions far outweigh their costs" and explains that "we hear from employers across all sectors, ‘we need your students. They’ve got the thinking and skills to turn around big problems.’”
Second, John Kissick (director of the School of Fine Arts and Music at the University of Guelph) points out that "in terms of the skill sets needed in the marketplace today, that a studio arts education is as good as it gets outside of the professions."
Then Luis Jacob (a Toronto based artist) makes a great point: “an art school is really important for giving young people a community — a set of peers all trying to create their artistic identities together."
Having been part of such a community at Sheridan College, in the Illustration program, I can attest to the importance of social interaction for the arts. Good ideas take collaboration and criticism to flourish. Innovations build on one another in a community. This leads to critical and creative thinking abilities, confidence, and true grit (See earlier post).
The title quote from this blog sums it up well, from a great thinker of our age, Alan Fletcher:
"Imagination is the active ingredient of thinking."
Monday, November 28, 2011
Lady Gaga submits a video to support tolerance campaign.
A student at the Etobicoke School of the Arts wrote to a few celebrities asking for a video response to add to their anti-bullying campaign. Lady Gaga responded and the video was played at an assembly last friday at the school. The Globe covers the story here.
By doing videos like this, celebrities call attention to these issues and get people talking. It is great to see them using their power to address such important issues, like Rick Mercers's rant about teen suicide earlier this fall (you can see it here).
By doing videos like this, celebrities call attention to these issues and get people talking. It is great to see them using their power to address such important issues, like Rick Mercers's rant about teen suicide earlier this fall (you can see it here).
Friday, November 4, 2011
For excellence, "true grit" may be more important than talent.
In a recent post on the Behance network blog 99%, the idea that true grit is more important than talent to achieve excellence, is explored based on the theory of a Harvard researcher. The post contains the arguments and some great links to a supporting TEDtalk and the "true grit" test. See how you rate.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
The Two Most Famous Paintings In Canadian Art...
I wondered what was going on when I was in the A.G.O. last week and noticed that Tom Thomson's "West Wind" was missing. Arguably the two most famous paintings in Canadian art are hanging side by side in a gallery in London, England this week: Thomson's "West Wind" and "Jack Pine".
Both images are considered icons of the Canadian spirit and it must be wonderful to see them together. They are part of a larger exhibit of Thomson and the Group of Seven that is touring Europe for the first time since the first quarter of last century. The Globe covers the details in this article.
Both images are considered icons of the Canadian spirit and it must be wonderful to see them together. They are part of a larger exhibit of Thomson and the Group of Seven that is touring Europe for the first time since the first quarter of last century. The Globe covers the details in this article.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Toronto's Urban Repair Squad's Lego bike lane
The Urban Repair Squad reinstalled a bike lane on Dupont this week that was recently removed by the city, and they used lego. Check out this blog: urbanrepairs.blogspot.com, for the full story and a video about the project.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
The Weston Family Learning Centre
The A.G.O. has opened the Weston Family Learning Centre this month with a newly designed educational space including studios and seminar rooms. I'm looking forward to checking it out with some students soon. The Centre features huge windows onto the street and open, interconnected areas throughout. Here is a brief video tour of the Centre on their site.
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