The Gate: Interdisciplinary Arts Experience
26/11/07 23:31 Filed in: Arts
Education
Toronto, ON – Monday, November 26, 2007
Every Saturday for the last six weeks, 22 grade 4 students from Topcliff Public School in the Jane/Finch community, come to school as they do every other day. This is Saturday, however, and they don’t need to be here. They could be at home watching TV, hanging out with friends or sleeping in. But they are here! And they are excited and ready to engage in something a little different. Along with some of Toronto’s finest artists and teachers, aspiring teachers and filmmakers, these young students are exploring a single idea in a kind of rites of passage interdisciplinary arts experience. The idea is called “the gate,” and it is evolving into a remarkable artistic expression of what that means. Is it about where we come from or where we are going? Is it a passageway or a roadblock? Is it tactile or symbolic? Is it our past or our future? And if it is all those things, how can a ten year old express that artistically through story, art and music? And if we see the gate, what do we do? Do we approach it? Open it? What is on the other side? Where will it take us? One thing we know for sure, it is a magical adventure. We know that because WE created it!
Every Saturday for the last six weeks, 22 grade 4 students from Topcliff Public School in the Jane/Finch community, come to school as they do every other day. This is Saturday, however, and they don’t need to be here. They could be at home watching TV, hanging out with friends or sleeping in. But they are here! And they are excited and ready to engage in something a little different. Along with some of Toronto’s finest artists and teachers, aspiring teachers and filmmakers, these young students are exploring a single idea in a kind of rites of passage interdisciplinary arts experience. The idea is called “the gate,” and it is evolving into a remarkable artistic expression of what that means. Is it about where we come from or where we are going? Is it a passageway or a roadblock? Is it tactile or symbolic? Is it our past or our future? And if it is all those things, how can a ten year old express that artistically through story, art and music? And if we see the gate, what do we do? Do we approach it? Open it? What is on the other side? Where will it take us? One thing we know for sure, it is a magical adventure. We know that because WE created it!
The director and dramaturge leading this team is Jim
Schaefer. He is part of the Distillery Arts Outreach
project, a collaboration of three well known arts
education organizations; Inner City Angels, Mariposa
In The Schools and Prologue to the Performing Arts,
all located in the Distillery Historic District. This
is Jim’s 6th project with the DAO team. He is joined
by musicians Njacko Backo and Dick Smith, visual
artists Charmaine Lurch and Allycia Uccello plus 20
remarkable teachers and students from York University
Faculty of Education, Ryerson University Film Studies
and, or course, Topcliff Public School. Two weeks
remain before the exploration culminates into a
single inspiring message and theatrical presentation
to the school and community. Mark your calendars for
Monday, December 10, 2007 at Topcliff Public School
at Jane and Finch. Everyone is welcome to experience
“the gate!” Showcases are at 2pm for Topcliff
students and 7pm for family and community.
The students sing, dance, write, act, draw, paint, construct, play African drums and a steel band. Much of this is captured on York University teacher candidates (Pierre & Sara’s) weekly blog at http://organicgate.blogspot.com/.
The Distillery Arts Outreach is funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Collaborating partners are also grateful to the Toronto Arts Council and the Ontario Arts Council for their ongoing support towards arts education in Toronto priority neighbourhoods. Finally, without the enthusiastic participation of York University Faculty of Education and Principal Nancy Steinhauer, this project would not be possible.
The students sing, dance, write, act, draw, paint, construct, play African drums and a steel band. Much of this is captured on York University teacher candidates (Pierre & Sara’s) weekly blog at http://organicgate.blogspot.com/.
The Distillery Arts Outreach is funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Collaborating partners are also grateful to the Toronto Arts Council and the Ontario Arts Council for their ongoing support towards arts education in Toronto priority neighbourhoods. Finally, without the enthusiastic participation of York University Faculty of Education and Principal Nancy Steinhauer, this project would not be possible.