Quilt of Possibilities on exhibit in Toronto

I wanted to share a great environmental art project that is currently on exhibit in Toronto called the ‘Quilt of Possibilities’. It’s a quilt celebrating Ontario’s Greenbelt in all of its forms – each quilt square was created by a different artist. My friend Dorie Preston and her daughter are both part of it, as are many other local artists. It’s a wonderful collaborative piece that speaks volumes about the way art can be used to raise environmental awareness for artists and viewers in a beautiful and engaging way. It’s on view until Dec 12th at the Ontario Craft Council Gallery in Toronto – here’s the link if you‘d like to learn more!

http://www.craft.on.ca/Programs/Greenbelt#Tour

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HilaryInwood, December 3rd 2010 | Posted in Eco-artists, Uncategorized

Green Arts at Evergreen Brick Works

I have been lucky over the last year to be involved in a small way in the thinking around ‘Green Arts’ at the new Evergreen Brick Works site, which has just opened in Toronto in October. Evergreen Brick Works is quickly becoming the environmental community centre of the city, with environmental education programs for schools, a plant nursery of indigenous plant species, a series of demonstration gardens, and a wonderful market featuring organic and fair trade food. It will also become the centre of environmental arts in Canada over time, acting as a much needed hub for artists, musicians, dancers and actors who share similar goals in sustainability through their practice.

The rejuvenation of the site is an art installation in its own right – the century old brick kilns and factory buildings are taking on a new life as classrooms, meeting places, exhibit spaces and performance venues. Artist-in-residence Ferruccio Sardella worked closely with the architects to ensure that the some of the patina and history of these spaces was left intact, including some of the existing street art, like the large graffiti murals that were created on the walls years ago. Ferruccio’s own works are slowly being added to the site, not only to build its own eco-art collection but also to materialize Evergreen’s ideals in aesthetic form. Other works on site include Dan Bergeron’s large-scale photo murals of the former brick workers in the kiln buildings, and art videos inside the kilns themselves!


Landscape architect Heidi Campbell is working on a creative, interactive space for children to play and create their own eco-artworks made of natural and found materials – this should be ready for the spring of 2011. Artists Shannon Crossman and Morgan Zigler have been supporting its development by sharing their innovative activities with children and families in the children’s garden over the past two summers.

Be sure to visit the Evergreen Brick Works website for more info at [http://ebw.evergreen.ca/] or better yet, visit in person!

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HilaryInwood, November 3rd 2010 | Posted in Eco-art sites, Eco-artists, nature-based art, Uncategorized

Using art as a part of environmental education

Just finished a summer institute for teachers in Toronto that took an integrated approach environmental education (EE) and ecological literacy by using art, science, outdoor ed and mapping as a way to get teachers and students outside to learn about the environment. What a great time! Hosted by Evergreen (an amazing Canadian EE non-profit) and the EE dept. at the Toronto District School Board, about 30 teachers came to Runnymede PS in the west end of the city for four days of tours, learning activities, and stimulating discussions, all centred on EE. I was lucky to work with co-facilitator and science educator extraordinaire Pam Miller (for the fourth summer in a row), new Evergreen staffer Erin Wood, as well as four inspiring lead teachers from schools around the city – Anne Lakoff, Karen Goodfellow, Ryan Adams and Jennet Poffenroth.

We organized the institute on learning in, about and for the environment, themes drawn from the TDSB’s approach to developing students’ ecoliteracy. We combined this with a focus on learning trails, a type of guided learning experience that gets teachers and students outside to access the range of environments in their communities. We modeled interpretative, self-guided and investigative trails, and then had the teachers develop their own for the upcoming school year.

Of course there was a strong art component to this institute as we encouraged teachers to experiment with age-appropriate environmental action with their students. Part of this was manifested via creative approaches to mapping, but a few of us also played with developing the Yellow Fish Road concept to make it more eye-catching. Here is the result of our efforts – a stenciled fish near the Humber River that reminds people of the rich range of life in our rivers and lakes in the city.

Overall it was a wonderful week of PD for all of us as the teacher-participants always end up teaching us just as much as we teach them. I’m hoping some of the ideas from the institute take on a life of their own in schools across Toronto over the course of the school year.

Hilary

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HilaryInwood, October 28th 2010 | Posted in eco art education, nature-based art, professional development

Best eco-art site found this summer!

I’ve had a lovely few weeks of vacation, and was lucky enough to visit a wonderful eco-art spot in England as part of my travels. I’ve been wanting to visit the Yorkshire Sculpture Park for a few years, as I knew that Andy Goldsworthy had exhibited there on a number of occasions. It was well worth the pilgrimage to the north of England – acres and acres of farmland and forest, with dozens of art sculptures and installations sprinkled throughout the park. Like many museums in Britain it was free to the public, with only a small fee for parking.

What a place! I got to combine two of my favourite activities – hiking and looking at art – in one stunning location in the Yorkshire hills. I was thrilled to experience Goldsworthy’s work firsthand, walking in and around his Shadow Stonefold, Outclosure and Hanging Tree installations from 2007. His stonework is absolutely beautiful, and the siting is inspired. My teenage boys seemed to enjoy their interactive elements as much as I did. I also enjoyed seeing James Turrell’s Deer Shelter Skyspace (also from 2007). His work emphasizes our connection to the sky, and again was a wonderful integration with the open fields and animals of the park.

It was also lovely to see Henry Moore sculptures in their ‘natural setting’, surrounded by the very countryside that inspired them. See the accompanying photo one of these surrounded by English sheep and Canadian geese – a thoughtful addition for a bunch of visiting Canucks!

The highlight of the day however was a retrospective of the work of David Nash, who is a nature-based artist working mainly with trees and wood. What a stunning series of works – I was completely captivated. His work honours the beauty and majesty of trees while articulating his own relationship to them through his connections to the present and the past. If you’re not familiar with his artistry, check out the YSP website for a great series of links on his work [http://www.ysp.co.uk/view.aspx?id=691].

So if you’re heading to England, I highly recommend making the Yorkshire Sculpture Park one of your destinations – it is a wonderful place for nature-based and environmental art!

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HilaryInwood, September 2nd 2010 | Posted in Eco-art sites, Eco-artists, nature-based art

Blog Entry #1

Welcome to my first blog entry on art, education and environment – what I hope will become regular reading for those with similar passions.  I often frame my practice as an art educator, researcher and consultant in terms of planting seeds, and so this blog will become another means for me to sow ideas and share new growth in the fields of art-making, art education, and environmentalism.   I’m aiming to write an entry every few weeks on these topics and cross-pollinate with others interested in these areas, so join me as I explore these fertile environments in future.

I’m writing this as I enjoy the quieter pace of the summer after wrapping up another year teaching in the preservice program at OISE.  It was a very busy year, and I welcome the summer break as a time to encourage growth on other projects that have been on the back burner.  One of these projects is my own website, which is linked to this blog.  Thanks to web designer Gareth Bates it is coming into full flower – tell me what you think about its design and content.  Another is getting caught up on writing projects that have been dormant all winter – I’m working on getting two book proposals out the door by the fall.

And I’m looking forward to another Summer Institute for teachers for the Toronto District School Board and Evergreen for August, this one on cross curricular approaches to environmental education and ecological literacy.  I’m facilitating this with my amazing colleague and friend Pam Miller. The institute is forcing me back into the studio to get my hands dirty – what a welcome relief after a winter with too much time at my keyboard!  I’ll write more about the institute in late August as it promises to be a great event.

Until then, enjoy the summer months, and take time to get outside and think carefully at what’s growing in your garden.

Hilary

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HilaryInwood, August 10th 2010 | Posted in Uncategorized
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