by Timmy Chandler, Programs and Research Assistant, KW|AG.
Family Sundays, Off The Wall Saturdays and a variety of lecture series are just some of the many community events presented by the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery. These programs help increase public interest in viewing, making and understanding art. Another strategy is to host art activities at public events and festivals. This summer was no exception as KW|AG participated in some of Kitchener-Waterloo’s biggest public events with an interesting line-up of creative activities. As the Programs and Research Assistant with the Gallery Summer Art Camp program, I had the opportunity to experience first-hand what it takes to prepare and run activities at the festivals enjoyed by so many in the community.
Every year for the past 40 years, the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Festival has been eagerly anticipated for its wide variety of food, colourful costumes, dance and other performances. This festival was by far the largest event that KW|AG was involved in this summer — over the 2-day event, a lot of people came to make art with us! For the Multicultural Festival, KW|AG was prepared with supplies and instructions on how to make pinwheels. Festive, fun and in keeping with the theme of the day, people of all ages enjoyed this activity. Participants were thrilled to have something they could take home with them as a reminder of the fun day. We were so busy at the KW|AG tent on the first day that we kept a very watchful eye on our materials to be sure we had enough for the second day.
Timmy with some of the Pinwheel makers.
The second festival the Gallery took part in was Open Streets in Uptown Waterloo. Unlike many of the other festivals, this one took place during the evening and so most of our visitors were adults. The team at KW|AG planned accordingly and prepared an activity that tied into the exhibitions on display at the Gallery. Inspired by the theme of nostalgia, stemming from the Permanent Collection exhibition Remember When It Happened…, participants were invited to create “Retro Instagrams”. Drawing on the popular photo-sharing application, Instagram, we decided to have participants take photos using disposable cameras (talk about nostalgia!). Instead of editing the photos after they were taken to make them look ‘older’, we had participants place our “filters” (coloured cellophane, nylons) in front of the lens or flash, and/or scratch the lens to achieve effects similar to the ones produced through Instagram. The activity was a smash hit and all the participants really took to it once they started to fool around with the materials we gave them. The end results looked fantastic!
Our last public event for the summer was Kidspark. At this event, Victoria Park was taken over for the day by various K-Ws institutions that provided free, educational and fun activities for children. The KW|AG team believes that achieving a balance between learning and having fun is a critical factor in planning successful activities for the public. We want to stimulate a child’s mind by presenting an activity that is challenging, but not frustrating, to take part in.
The making of the graffiti mural.
Fun was most definitely the name of the game at Kidspark. Kids were invited to draw and stencil on a large graffiti wall we set up in the park. Much like at the Multicultural Festival, Victoria Park was packed with families who jumped at the chance to come to the KW|AG table to make bright graffiti (minus any legal consequences!). What had started out as four plain boards of plywood eventually turned into a completely filled neon mural, thanks to the work put in all day by the kids!
kwartgallery.wordpress.com 