This week marked the opening of “An East Side Story” a public exhibit featuring photographs and poetry by grade 6 and 7 students at Britannia Elementary. There was laughter, joy, celebration and pride.
The exhibition followed on the heels of a week-long series of workshops delivered by LEAD artists where youth explored drama, photography, poetry and Indigenous concepts of community as they wrote about and captured photos of theirs.
Seeing their art in a public space was transformational for these young creators, and provided an experience that will resonate positively with them for years to come. Their confidence shone through as they read their poems and explained their art to visitors. They recounted how they learned to see the world differently and how each photo was a metaphor for an aspect of the place they call home. They saw, first hand, the impact that one small piece of art can have, how one piece can grow into a gallery of pieces, how their singular voices can become part of a choir with a little effort, inspiration, vision and collaboration.
Huge congratulations go out to Mr. B’s artists. “An East Side Story” celebrates their talents, insights, words, images, thoughts and feelings. It is a celebration of hope and resilience and captures the essence and spirit of their community artfully and professionally.
Thanks are also due to CLICK (www.clicktokids.ca) for providing the funding so that LEAD’s week-long program could take place, to Mr. B and Britannia Elementary for hosting, to Mandee for designing and hanging the exhibition, to Helen at Britannia Community Services Centre for conceiving of and planning it, to the Britannia Branch of the Vancouver Public Library for providing the gallery space and to youthLEADarts artists Candice, Lori, David and Damian for their inspired mentorship.
“An East Side Story” will be on display at the Britannia Library Art Gallery through March. Prints will be available for sale in May with proceeds going towards future programs in Mr. B’s class. For more information contact info@youthleadarts.com