WAG-WSD celebrate art and culture

To mark Winnipeg School Division's 150 anniversary and its 86 years of collaboration with the Winnipeg Art Gallery, 150 students from nine WSD Schools received a unique gift of learning.

On November 24, Grade 9 to 12 students and art educators at Sargent Park, Elmwood and General Wolfe virtually visited WAG-Qaumajuq, followed by a learning session about the Inuit technique of stencil printing.

WAG Learning and Programs Coordinator Colleen Leduc and renowned Inuit artist Goota Ashoona facilitated all three virtual sessions on three mornings last week. Gordon Bell, Tec-Voc, R.B Russell and Isaac Newton school art students and teachers took part on November 25. On the third day, students and teachers from Kelvin High and DMCI created art with virtual instructions from Coleen Leduc and Goota Ashoona.

The first half of each session started with Inuit storytelling about Nuliajuk, the creator and guardian of animals. Ms. Leduc read from a book named 'Takannaaluk' written by Inuit elder Herve Paniaq and showed the illustrations created by famous artist Germaine Arnaktauyok.

Storytelling and creating art are essential aspects of Inuit culture through which new generations learn from their elders.

Ms. Leduc showed an art vault that has 5000 sculptures and carved works of Inuit artists. She also explained three different representations of the Nuliajuk by three generations of artists in the Ashoona family.

Students then had the opportunity to see 'The Gift,' a new sculpture carved from Verde Guatemala marble by Goota Ashoona. Ms. Ashoona told the students about her creative thoughts while sculpting a mother’s and daughter’s face and how she connected it with Nuliajuk’s story.

During the second half of the session, students drew an animal of their choice. Ms. Leduc showed them a step-by-step way to create a stencil and print the animal using black acrylic paint on white cardstock paper.

"Visiting WAG virtually was a pretty calming experience. Everyone's art has a different style, and it's cool to see how they create it. I made a dolphin as it is my favourite animal. Art helps relax my mind, it helps me create what I am thinking, and it lets other people see it too," said Elijah Kaste, Grade 9 student, Sargent Park School.

"Organizing a virtual tour is a great idea during a pandemic. The stories and the art shared with us were interesting since many of us do not know about indigenous cultures. Using different mediums to create art and making sculptures according to one’s style is impressive," said Han Luong, Grade 9 student at Sargent Park School.

"I knew about stencil printing but had never done it. I am pleased to create a stencil from my piece of art, and it came out very clean. I made a sea turtle today since it is one of the seven sacred teachings representing truth."

The 150 animal prints created by WSD students will be arranged to become part of a large installation displayed at WAG-Qaumajuq on a free-standing wall later this December. 

Grade 9 student Ben Tolentino was also impressed with the different forms of Inuit art. He said, "It's good to recognize the Indigenous community, the first people who were here and their art. It is always fun to create art, especially with friends. Today I drew a salmon, my favourite fish that I love to eat."

"Art lets us see the world differently, try new things, learn to fail, pick ourselves up and do it again. In an art class, it's all about making mistakes and learning from those mistakes," shared Desa Kalem, the Visual Arts teacher at Sargent Park School.

"WAG and other art institutions have an important role, along with schools, in better understanding one another, so schools and cultural organizations have a huge role in the process of reconciliation. I am glad to be part of it."