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Making Our Mark

June 20, 2008

SUMMER’S COMING, TIME TO MAKE YOUR MARK with MAKING OUR MARK!

Sheatre presents a totally new workshop for youth this summer, MAKING OUR MARK!

Art and mural-making with Trevor Pfeffer

Theatre and improvisation with Joan Chandler

Creative writing and poetry with Kateri Akewenzie-Damm

Songwriting and voice with david sereda


Learn by doing: learn techniques from professional artists as you make your mark with

a mural you design,

a scene you write and act in,

a poem you create and perform

and a song you write and sing.


You can focus on one art form you’re most drawn to, or experience something you’ve never done before: attend part or all of this multi-arts workshop. What we create will spring from two points of view: 1) kids today and 2) the Metis people in Owen Sound.


You’ll work with other youth aged 12-20. No previous experience or special knowledge is necessary!


MAKING OUR MARK IS A COLLECTIVE PROJECT. We’ll work on a lot of the project together as a group, and some things will be created by just one person – but together we’ll decide which particular themes and stories we’ll focus on. We’ll explore these stories and ideas using visual art, theatre, poetry and music. Our idea is to let these arts come together in an exchange, and to enrich each other — just like the participants with different interests and backgrounds will come together and enrich each other. What we create will be developed and linked together into a staged presentation onsite. Here’s how we’ll do it!


GETTING INTO THE STORY: At the beginning of the workshop, Joan Chandler (theatre), david sereda (music) and Trevor Pfeffer (mural artist) will kick things off with the group, playing cooperative games, telling stories and deciding just what this mural is going to be about. Special guests will talk about Metis history and current status as a culture within Canada. We’ll brainstorm ideas for themes and stories that best represent our community as a whole now and in the past. We’ll play with themes of “community” and “heritage” and “your culture”. Then we’ll create a storyboard for the project. Participants will present their ideas to the United Way and the Metis Association for approval, since the murals are in their building and office space.


MAKING OUR MARK WITH MURALS

July 2 – July 25

Led by Trevor Pfeffor, students will create graffiti style murals from sketches to full two-storey wall-size paintings. If you ever wanted permission to draw on the walls or to cover them with graffiti – this is it!!!

 

MAKING OUR MARK ON THE PAGE

July 7 – 11

Kateri Akewenzie-Damm leads the group in creative writing and poetry and performance technique. Some of the poetry will be included in the murals.

 

MAKING THE MURALS COME TO LIFE

July 21 – August 2

Joan Chandler and david sereda will lead this stage of the workshop, where participants respond to the stories in the murals by creating theatrical scenes and characters and songs, and by integrating their poetry.


We’ll culminate in a public unveiling and performance on August 2 that brings together the best of everything we’ve developed over this month-long exploration.

 


DATES: The workshop runs from July 2nd until August 2nd (Monday through Friday) at the United Way and Metis Centre located at 380 9th Street East in Owen Sound.


COST: FREE! (donations are accepted)

 

WHO CAN ATTEND? Youth 12-20.


Making our Mark is brought to you by Sheatre in partnership with The United Way of Bruce-Grey and with the support of The Metis Nation of Ontario.

 

TO REGISTER, contact:

Francesca Dobbyn, United Way at 519 376 1560

 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

david sereda, Associate Artist, Sheatre at 519 372 2888

or Joan Chandler, Artistic Director, Sheatre at 519 534 3039


Sheatre, Grey-Bruce’s only professional community arts and arts education company, is funded in part by

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Written by Jesse · Filed Under Youth, The Area, The Arts, Participation, theOwen 

Heart for the Bike Park

June 20, 2008

To Whom it May Concern,

I was saddened and concerned to hear of the closing of Owen Sound’s bike park. Though I haven’t used the facilities myself, I know that it is an important part of many young people’s lives. Owen Sound is an area with a lot to offer, but it is difficult for young people to find their place in the city. There are many barriers such as feeling unwelcome and regarded with suspicion while shopping, being accused of loitering if hanging out outside, feeling out of place at events with mainly adult populations, and encountering the ‘same old’ if just hanging out at home. Some of these issues are societal, and some are simply part of growing up.

Places such as the bike park are an integral part of a community. They provide a healthy and constructive outlet for youth to exercise, form friendships, challenge themselves, and work to improve their skills. Sports such as this teach youth dedication, fair play, conflict resolution, and the development of a healthy lifestyle. A place such as the bike park gives youth somewhere they can call their own, a community in which to invest their time and energy.

Of particular concern to me is the fact that council is using the park’s appearance as an argument for closing it, especially after the city has reneged on its commitment to help maintain the bike park’s appearance. The fact that the park’s appearance is ostensibly part of the reason it should be closed disturbs me greatly for a number of reasons. The appearance could easily be improved with or without the righteous commitment of the city; it would not be difficult for a group of volunteers to help to maintain it. In fact, involving the youth in maintaining the bike park (not as a mandatory responsibility, but as a contribution to the community of the park) would only increase their commitment to it. If willing and able youth were to take on sprucing up the park, it would truly become theirs.

I would call into question the claim that the appearance of the park is an issue at all. There are many vacant properties in much more visible locations (such as perhaps the former Black Clawson Kennedy property right near the tourism office!). There are many buildings I find very visually unappealing, and I would be much happier if they were replaced with trees, or perhaps a meadow filled with what some might call weeds (such as those in the bike park) and others might call plants. However, I know that these buildings are of economic value to our community and that tearing them down and replacing them with natural beauty may not be in the best interest of our community.

Likewise, activities which are of value to our youth are of economic benefit to our community. Youth are a very valuable resource, and we only have one chance with them: they are only youth for a short period of time. In that time, we have a choice as a community: support them in learning and developing to be the best they can be, or do a great disservice to our future by not taking advantage of this opportunity to positively influence our youth. The real economic value in investing in youth is seen in a healthier, productive, and more successful community of tomorrow.
I am a young person living in this area and see first hand the many challenges facing today’s youth. It is my hope that my community respects and values its young people, because I know that in return my community will receive respect and positive contributions from the youth in return.

With heart,
Lauren Best

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Written by Lauren · Filed Under Guest Post 

Random Bits roundup for 2008-06-19

June 19, 2008

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Written by · Filed Under Administrivia 

OWEN SOUND ARTS AWARDS

June 17, 2008

The City of Owen Sound is pleased to announce the first stage of Owen Sound’s new Arts Awards, to be held in the spring of 2009. The journey begins with a call to local artists to design an original work that can be reproduced as an award.
Design proponents are invited to contact the Community Services Department for a copy of the Request for Submissions. Call (519) 376-4440 ext. 256 or email pbryant@e-owensound.com. The Request for Submissions can also be downloaded from the City’s website at e-owensound.com/communityservices. The deadline to submit initial design concepts by is September 19, 2008.
The initial submissions will be adjudicated by a community jury, which will select three proponents to develop full design proposals and cost quotations. Selected proponents will be able to take up to two months to complete their proposal, following which the three concepts will be publicly displayed and a winning design chosen from amongst the three, to become the basis of the Owen Sound Arts Awards.
The Arts Awards are an initiative of the Cultural Advisory Committee, a standing committee of Owen Sound City Council. Its members include two City councilors, representatives of local cultural institutions, and community volunteers. The Awards are a high-priority action item from Owen Sound’s recently approved Cultural Master Plan.

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Media contact:
Doug Cleverley
Event Facilitator
519 376-4440 ext. 251
Background article available on request

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Written by Jesse · Filed Under The Arts 

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