Douglas Elementary

Hey! Look! This is our art. We made something out of nothing (or pieces of everything) and it was fun. Here is proof that we exist. Here is something that we made with our own hands and our own brains. Even if we do not know a lot of things, even though we are only 5 (or 25), there is still a lot we are capable of. Especially if we do things together.

This installation is a pair of projects where I introduce New and Fun things to the youngest students in the school. Each week, I either hand them something that they might not have ever seen before (like acrylic gloss medium, or a very fancy black pen, or white glue), or I pose a specific restriction or direction and then set them free. 

The first project focused on mapping in an internal way: we drew maps that showed how we got to school, how we got to this point in life, and hypothetically, we drew a map of the world in one hundred years. 

The second project was more explorative. While navigating through the different materials and art techniques, we managed to make our mark. There were some tears, some excitement-fuelled sink mishaps, and lots of confusion… but we persevered.

And it all turned out pretty awesome.

This particular residency invited students to slow down and look more closely at themselves, at each other, and at the world around them. Through analog film photography, Grade 5 and 6 students explored the theme of connection: to themselves, to others, and to the wider world.

To begin, students were introduced to the art of portraiture, examining a range of photographs that challenged conventional ideas of what a portrait can be. They discovered that a face doesn't need to be visible for an image to feel deeply personal and even revealing.

Students then worked in small groups, each group sharing a film camera across several sessions. Working with film meant embracing a fundamentally different relationship with image-making: there is no preview, and no delete button. Every frame is a commitment and a moment of intention and trust.

To explore their connections visually, students brought in objects from their everyday lives such as favourite books, toys, and sports equipment, as well as elements gathered from nature. Some used mirrors to create striking reflections and unexpected visual effects. Others played with angle, perspective, and motion to convey something true about who they are and what matters to them.

On the second-to-last day, students rewound their film rolls and, with bated breath, opened their cameras for the first time. Every roll had been properly exposed and rewound - a small but meaningful triumph! Nisha then took the films to the darkroom and processed each one by hand. Students viewed their finished images both as negatives on a lightbox and as digital scans.

The reactions spoke for themselves: surprise, delight, and pride. So often, a photograph turns out completely differently from what was imagined, and that difference can be the most interesting thing of all. Working with film teaches students to let go of perfectionism and embrace chance, uncertainty, and the spirit of collaboration with a single, unrepeatable moment. In doing so, they created images that were genuinely their own.

This year I worked with the students to create the Douglas Zine Club! Across 4th and 7th grades the students learned the fundamentals of drawing and how to construct and plan a zine. 

In the foundational stage each student was given a sketchbook to use during our time together as well as take home. We learned how to draw from life both indoors and out, and how to construct forms. We sketched both creatively and studiously.

During the making of the zines I encouraged them to take drawings that they had made in their sketchbooks and incorporate them using collage as a part of their zines. 

Zines are meant to be given and shared, so we spent much of our time collaborating on ideas, and drawing in groups, as well as sharing the zines once they were finished. 

It is my hope that the students leave the zine club feeling empowered to share their ideas and express themselves creatively even if their thoughts seem outlandish. I want to instill in them a new appreciation for the world around them and the specific and unique ways that they can see it.