Bruce

Primary Students

with Artist Yasaman Moussavi (Yasi)

Intermediate Students

with Artist Yunuen Perez Vertti

This series of work presents an exploration of papermaking as a creative, ecological, and collaborative practice. Guided by questions of care, attention, and transformation, students from Kindergarten to Grade 4 at Graham D. Bruce Elementary School worked together to turn discarded classroom paper into new artwork. In doing so, they explored how artistic processes can teach us not only about color, texture, composition, and form, but also about patience, teamwork, and the value of slowing down to notice.

Papermaking, by its nature, is a process of renewal. Students engaged with it as both a sensory and artistic material—touching, tearing, pouring, layering—learning to observe closely and respond to change. From embedding natural materials like leaves and flowers to experimenting with colored pulp and movement through pulp painting, students discovered how textures can tell stories, and how materials shape ideas just as much as ideas shape materials.

Throughout the process, simple questions guided deep reflection: What do you feel by touching? What do you notice? How can we collaboratively create something imaginative that meaningfully engages with the materials of our work? Whether drawing with yarn, creating balance through symmetry, or exploring rhythm through shape and color, students were invited to listen to each other, to the material, and to their own evolving sense of expression.

The works created are not just finished products—they are living records of learning through the senses. They reveal how unexpected outcomes can become inspiration, how fragility can hold strength, and how transformation is always a shared act. In each sheet of paper, we see evidence of care, curiosity, and collaboration—a quiet reminder that making art can also be a way of making community.

This year’s residency focused on identity and resilience—exploring who we are and the qualities that help us overcome challenges. Students investigated these themes through photography and collage, reflecting on what identity means and how aspects of their identity contribute to their resilience.

To begin, students explored the concept of identity by creating collages. They traced the shadow of a body part—such as a hand, face, or foot—onto white paper, cut out the silhouette, and glued it onto black paper. Within these silhouettes, they reflected on and represented traits linked to both their external/social identity and their internal/personal identity.

Next, students were asked to bring an object from home that represented or connected to their identity. They photographed this object both indoors and outdoors, considering composition, angle, and lighting in their images. Students then partnered up to take portrait photographs of each other, composing images that conveyed an aspect of their partner’s identity. These portraits were also taken in different settings, with an emphasis on creative use of light, angle, and framing. Mirrors, whiteboards, and other materials were used as physical filters to create visual effects.

Throughout the process, students were encouraged to experiment and express themselves visually. In doing so, they created meaningful representations of their identity, resilience, and creativity.