Community Building Through Art

Teaching Philosophy and Arts

Education
I believe in a positive education where I focus on not only academic
well being but also social wellbeing
I believe in promoting art in all disciplines to develop skills of
expression and for its healing or therapeutic qualities.
I believe in being a change agent and promoting social justice
issues
I was brought into arts education with a art general course taken in
my last year of high school
I was a student struggling with academics due to health reasons so
I found art a form of healing for me.
In university I took art electives and really enjoyed them.
I was deciding what to teach and art was my minor so I decided to
teach art as my second teaching area.
I have also done volunteer work at St.Pauls hospital Healing Arts
Program

Going Beyond the

Classroom
How I would integrate art and community
I would bring art into community centers
such as hospitals, schools, restaurants,
offices, public places both outdoors and
indoors.
I would need a team of teachers to support
me at different grade levels k-8, 9-12, Post
Secondary.

The Plan
Have teachers in Elementary, High School,
and Post Secondary levels work into their
curriculum ART THERAPY and Community
Building.
Students would work on collaborative
projects with students at the Post Secondary
level being the leaders of the group
Each Post Secondary student would be
working with a High School and Elementary
student on the project

Meetings
The students would meet biweekly or
monthly for a term to create art.
I would also like to get community
elders involved and have them
participate in the art making process

 In the time the Students would share

their ideas and come up with themes
for their work each time they met
Their work would be based on a
collaboration of ideas
The process would not only build
relationships and community but also
provide students with the
fundamentals of Art. Expressing
themselves in a way that would
promote healing and creativity.

Art Materials
Funding would be by the School Board but donations could
also be made to support the program
I think the Program would gain lots of attention because
the art would be displayed in public places. It would be
something that people would want to contribute to and be
involved in. Having the collaboration of the whole
community would be the aim.
I would have as many schools as possible involved in the
process and as many community centers as possible
involved.
Art work would be made on various canvases including
tables, chairs, ceiling tiles, walls, windows, food trays, etc
The artwork could be displayed permanently or semi
permanently depending on the type of canvas.

Curriculum
Teachers want to meet curriculum
components and objectives it could be
incorporated into any course or section of the
curriculum where students would be learning
about and would be developing Art skills,
Community Engagement, Life long learners,
Literacy, Thinking, Social Responsibility,
Identity and Interdependence, Sense of Self,
Community and Place which is part of the
entire curriculum.

Teachers
Teachers would simply determine whether they want their
entire class to be involved in the Program and when they
would like to allot time to the Program. It could be bi
weekly meetings for a Term or Monthly Meetings for a
term. For example Friday Mornings. The Teachers would
be set up with Teachers at various grade levels so If the
Elementary students and High school Students worked
with the Post Secondary students on Friday mornings it
would be part of all their curriculum to do so. Depending
on interest it could be a full time position for me or who
ever the Program Facilitator would be. For example if there
was enough interest there could be a group for every
morning and afternoon Monday to Friday.

Elders in the Community

I think about how Elders play a role in the
program. Like a writing Class Elders could
attend a morning or Afternoon working with
students of various grade levels on a piece of
artwork. The importance of interaction with
community and sharing knowledge would be
beneficial to everyone. The Elders would be
treated with respect they deserve and be able
to create artwork that would likely bring lots of
engagement in their lives.

Students
Not only would the program be part
of the curriculum it would build
relationships and connections with
people throughout the community.

Support
Local Businesses, schools, parents, public centers, etc. would
be able to support the program by simply displaying art work
for the Community to enjoy. Whether permanently or semi
permanently the artwork is for the community. Some places
may sponsor the program or do fundraising at events to
support the program. They may donate supplies and or want
to get their staff involved. Perhaps they would like a small
canvas to put on their wall or even a tile, the art work would
raise awareness of the program and the ultimate goal for the
displaying of art work would be to Create a Community
through the Arts and the importance of Art in the Community.
Some businesses may want to be involved in a piece that
portrays Equity in the Workplace or some other theme that
may be beneficial to learn about or raise awareness to.

Creations
Students collaborative artwork would have a theme that
would be portrayed through their work. The fundamentals of
art would be taught to students using a differentiated
inquiry based approach for all skill levels. The team would
decide whom the art is for and where it would be best
displayed. The team would be partnered up with the
community in different ways perhaps the artwork was
displayed throughout a seniors care home or a hospital. The
stories would be different and the connection to the
community would be different for each group. Ultimately I
would want to see artwork everywhere I looked in the city!
Maybe a park bench or a table with a message that may be
obvious to the viewer or maybe its abstract and only the
creators would understand the meaning behind the piece.