This year AGH: Learn successfully transitioned our classroom programming (formerly known as AGH: In-Class) to the virtual classroom, offering a spectrum of arts-based projects from kindergarten to grade 12, led by incredibly talented local artist-educators, delivered in a combination of asynchronous and synchronous workshops, that supports core curriculum subjects, making them more engaging, meaningful and fun. These projects were developed over multiple sessions connecting Literacy, Math, Environmental Issues, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Social Justice Issues, and more, through visual art, music, theatre, rap/spoken word, film and photography.
Covid-19 has turned our world upside down and the emotional/social impact on our young people is unprecedented. Our goal is to support both teachers and students who are struggling to stay engaged and inspired while learning/working from home. By the end of June, we will have delivered over 250 projects, creatively inspiring well over 5000 remote learners in the HWDSB and HWCDSB. AGH Learn: Artist Led Projects support and enhance core subjects, sparks excitement and give students a creative outlet to connect with their peers, express their learning and themselves, in a time where they feel most invisible and vulnerable.
Each AGH: Learn, On-Line, Artist Led includes:
- A collaborative orientation meeting, needs assessment, curricular development, project outline and schedule determined with the Artist Educator, Teacher and program Manager
- A brief welcome video, introducing the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the program, and a land acknowledgement
- An introduction video from the artist-educator to the students, describing the project, their arts practice and the materials that may be needed
- 3X 15-20-minute, asynchronous (pre-recorded) workshops introducing the skills needed to create an arts project, followed by extension research incentives and activities, to further develop the piece
- 3X 40-minute, synchronous (live) sessions with the artist-educator scheduled to follow each video, giving students the opportunity to ask questions, share their work and continue to develop the project
Project Options:
RAP/Poetry
Curriculum tie-ins: Language/Poetry
Grades 4-12
Local Hamilton musician Liam Tyndall, aka: LT the Monk will display and teach the various components of Rap and Poetry, taking the elements of rhyme scheme, wordplay, metaphor and simile, culminating in each participant (student) being able to write and perform a full verse/song of their own.
Characters, Conflict and the Art of Communication
Curriculum tie-ins: Language, Drama, Social Studies, Social Justice
Grades 3-12
Who am I, what’s my motivation, what’s the problem and how do I solve it? All will be answered with Actress/writer Melissa Murray-Mutch, through improvisation, character development and scene work. Students will explore conflict, learn the importance of listening and empathy; skills that will help them to better understand themselves, each other and their community.
Creative Writing, Drama
Curriculum tie-ins: Language, Drama, Social Studies, Social Justice
Grades 3-12
How Did We End Up Here? Look at a person or people in a painting, or at a distance talking to one another in McDonalds. Ever wonder what their story is? Or what brought them to this point in the first place? Why not create the backstory? Actress/writer Melissa Murray-Mutch will guide students with story structure and character creation in the form of a scene or a monologue based on images: paintings, photography, and/or real life.
Mini Zines and Dada Collage
Curriculum tie-ins: Visual Art, Language, Mixed Media, Social Justice
Grades 3-12 (Project can be delivered in French)
It has been said that in times of upheaval, collage resurfaces as an artform. Theatre Artist, Director and Designer, Kelly Wolf will explore Dada Collage and Zine making using newspapers, magazine and other found materials, students will document this moment in time. This project provides an opportunity to focus on the elements and principles of design using typography and images. Students will also create mini zines (little books) using one sheet of paper and whatever art materials they have at hand. A great way to use language and visual art together and the topics can be as wide ranging as your imagination. Content can be written, drawn or made from newspaper and magazine collage.
Water Colour Exploration
Curriculum tie-ins: Language, Visual Art, Health
Grades K-12
Express Yourself with Visual Artist Nancy Benoy- Using watercolour (we can make our own) students will gain an understanding the role emotions play in artmaking as they create paintings based on feelings, inspired by poetry or short stories. We will also brief look at a few of the Art Gallery of Hamilton’s works and how they convey emotion.
Drawing Me, Drawing My Stuff, Drawing My Space
Curricular tie- ins: Visual Art and Math, Environmental Issues, Social Justice
Grades 3-12
Students will create artworks of familiar objects and spaces using art from the Art Gallery of Hamilton’s permanent collection for inspiration! Utilizing personal objects found around the house, they will build a visual diary of a specific time and place in their lives. And will be able to apply the strategies they learn in future renderings. All the students will need is a pencil, eraser and paper (colouring pencils/markers are optional). . Links to math will be made through angles, scale and fractions
Going Graphic
Curriculum tie-ins: Visual Art, Language, Social Justice
Grades 4-12
Students will compose their own comic strips inspired by a range of texts, from Knock-Knock Jokes to News Articles, offering a fun learning opportunity for students to explore the key elements of storytelling, character development and drawing.
Visual Communication through Photography:
Curriculum tie-ins: Visual Art, Language, History, Community Responsibility, Social Justice
Grades 4-12
Filmmaker and visual artist Vanessa Crosbie Ramsay will inspire students to create photographic journals inspired by words, poetry, short stories or music. Students will learn the basics of photography while exploring how language is interpreted and communicated through visual representations.
Documentary Filmmaking
Curriculum Tie-ins: Language, Geography, Science, Social Studies, Social Justice Issues
Grades 5-12
Using provided prompts, students will produce journal entries (video or written), and explore the basics involved in creating short films. Filmmaker Vanessa Crosbie Ramsay will lead students on a creative journey exploring storytelling through video, and ways to document their own experiences and that of their community.
Pop Up Puppet Play!
Curriculum tie-ins: Language, Drama, History
Grades - k-5 (Project can be delivered in French)
In this fun, lighthearted series, join acclaimed Hamilton musician Treasa Levasseur as we explore ways to make puppets from ordinary household objects like spoons, socks, paper bags, or whatever is at hand. We will use those puppets to explore drama concepts like role, character and relationship through voice work, and written and improvised dialogue. The main focus of literacy work will be point of view.
Character Education through Drama
Curriculum tie-ins: Drama, Language/Poetry, Social Studies
Grades: 3-6
Actor and therapeutic clown Jody Boston will use Yangsoo Choi’s book, The Name Jar, inspiration to facilitate the dramatic embodiment of character education. Students will explore creative movement, choral speaking and poetry writing throughout the lesson series as they build their understanding of the personal values that guide their development and growth.
Imagine, Laugh, and Play through Drama ( 4 live 40 minute virtual visits only)
Curriculum tie-ins: Language, Drama, Social Studies
Grades K-3
Performance Artist Jody Boston, will take students on a theatrical journey through movement, character exploration, storytelling and theatre games that will inspire students to explore, laugh, connect with their classmates and stretch their imagination.