Art on the Move
The Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Arts Council recently launched the Educational Arts Program. This program was designed to connect artists-as-educators with students and special interest groups. This decision was two-fold, not only is the arts council interested in the promotion and support of artists, we are also interested in reaching the public at every socio-economic level.
The main goal of the Educational Arts Program (EAP) is to bring practicing artists into the classroom with set projects. These artist educators have a formal knowledge of the arts and experience teaching large groups of children. In partnership with the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Arts Council, each artist offers a workshop plan that introduces fundamental concepts, techniques and vocabulary specific to the workshop theme and techniques.
The arts council believes the arts provide an avenue for participants to engage in ideas through observation, analysis, context and relationships. Through the exploration of process and communication, participants have the opportunity to engage in ideas through what Howard Gardner refers to as "multiple intelligences" — auditory, kinesthetic and visual learning styles.
Workshops provide the opportunity for participants to explore techniques and language in visual and performing arts, as well as witness living artists as important contributors to Canadian culture and economy. A quote from John Kenneth Galbraith that helps clarify this message is, "Those communities that are richest in their artistic tradition are also those that are the most progressive in their economic performance and most resilient and secure in their economic structure".
Art practice provides an avenue for people to think cross culturally, to see interrelated issues and think across disciplines.
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