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Arts for All Ages
IGNITING THE CREATIVE SPARK
» Thursday 11 March 2010 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing ideas
and people in the Okanagan creative economy. Join us as teachers Katie Brennan, Karen Close and Beverly Rein explore the meaning of creativity and how arts teaching can be a transformative force across generations.
» $2 at the door. Refreshments are available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE
Artist-Teachers Profile Innovative Okanagan Approaches to the Arts
Everyone is creative. Finding ways to express our creativity in different ways is part of being human. Some people enjoy cooking, others planting gardens, choosing clothes, arranging rooms, repairing cars and furniture, or inventing things. Some paint, write poetry, carve and craft, sing or play music. Creative expression is a basic human need and maintains our sense of well-being. The importance of creativity in our lives is now widely acknowledged. Rather than seeing creativity as belonging to the rare few "gifted" or "talented" individuals, creativity is recognized as needed in all areas of endeavour.
The arts make a significant contribution to the Okanagan, enriching our society through their role in education and learning, the economy, regeneration, diversity and cultural complexity. They play an important part in the health and vitality of communities, creating vibrant and attractive places for people to live and work, and bring pleasure to many. They speak to each of us in myriad ways. Our reactions are unique, yet we are joined by the shared experience. They have the ability to draw us together and foster understanding and respect among us.
For many, art conjures up the idea of professionally trained "artists" with an exclusive right to produce art works. As Dahlia Gottlieb-Tanaka, a trained architect, who lives and works in Vancouver and founded the Society for the Arts in Dementia Care, says, "The arts are good for our soul and our well-being. This is true for everyone, but even more so for those who are ill."
On Thursday, March 11th at 5 pm the ongoing weekly Okanagan Institute Express series at the Bohemian Café presents Arts for All Ages: Igniting the Creative Spark. Join us as teachers Katie Brennan, Karen Close and Beverly Rein explore the meaning of creativity and how arts teaching can be a transformative force across generations.
The latest research now supports the idea that all human beings are creative. Further, research is also showing the value of remaining creative for maintaining our well-being and quality of life. The capacity of older people to be creative, despite health problems such as dementia, is part of the new understanding that individuals are able to remain creative throughout their lives, providing they have opportunities to use their creativity. Dr. Gene Cohen has provided the catchy slogan "Potential beyond problems" to enhance the concept of "positive ageing".
 Katie Brennan is a BC artist, currently based in Vernon BC. She recently completed her MFA at the University of Guelph in Guelph Ontario in 2009. In 2005, she completed her BFA at Emily Carr University in Vancouver BC. She has exhibited work across Canada, including Halifax, Toronto, Guelph, Vancouver, Vernon and Wells, BC, and most recently again in Vancouver as part of the accompanying exhibition to the UBC Graduate Symposium "Sights/Sites of Spectacle". She also is an alumni ambassador/recruiter for Emily Carr University and has attended National Portfolio Day events in Montreal, Toronto and New York. Her writing has appeared in Border Crossings magazine. Currently, she is a sessional lecturer at the University of British Columbia's Okanagan Campus. She also runs a small listserv called OKnow that sends out free weekly listing of arts and cultural events up and down the Okanagan Valley.
Can creativity be taught? And if so, how does one go about teaching it? Art and creativity are two endeavours that go hand-in-hand. However, just wanting to be creative or to create art doesn't mean that it just happens. Creativity is hard work and is something that is best harnessed through strategies that narrow down choice and encourage problem solving in tight spaces. Sometimes the most creative act of all is the act of looking and thinking differently. Through examples of post secondary class projects and the work of artists who employ unique strategies to create their work, the idea "can creativity be taught?" will be explored.
 Karen Close Karen Close has BA and a BEd (visual arts specialist). Teaching English and Art for 30 years gave Karen a deep appreciation for the healing benefits of creative expression. Retirement in 1995 gave her the opportunity to expand her knowledge and devote her time to arts and health advocacy. In 2005 she presented at the international conference of the Society for the Arts in Healthcare in Edmonton and in 2006 at the Canadian Society for Education through Art in Winnipeg. Karen is a painter and the author of Unfinished Women: Seeds From My Friendship With Reva Brooks and Spirit of Kelowna: A Celebration of Art and Community. She is the director of the ArtsCare group at the Okanagan Institute. Following on the success of her her heART FIT classes at the Rotary Centre for the Arts which teaches the healing benefits of 'spontaneous process painting', she has created Sage-ing With Creative Spirit - a series of classes to expose participants to taste different forms of creative expression.
Karen strongly believes in, and practices the objectives of the creative aging movement which urges the celebration of all forms of creativity particularly in later life. The Sage-ing program encourages participants to explore new areas of creative expression while developing joy in lifelong learning and community connections. The intent is to build a group of community volunteers able to encourage others to seek creative exploration and to provide training for volunteers to move into the community to share the arts.
 Beverly Rein is an enthusiastic art teacher who loves to share her knowledge and skills with students of all ages. She studied drawing and printmaking at the University of Lethbridge, Art Foundations and 3D studies at Emily Carr University of Art & Design, Art Education at UBC, Painting at the University of California, Hayward, Sumi-e painting in Chiba, Japan and Pastel Drawing at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She holds a Bachelor of General Studies from SFU and a BC Professional Teaching Certificate. She has many years experience leading art classes with children. She has led many workshops for seniors and has taught classes in Acrylic, Encaustic, Sumi-e and Mixed Media painting at the Kelowna Art Gallery and the Vernon Community Arts Centre. She is on the board of the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan and is a member of the Okanagan Institute's ArtsCare program. She is the Director of the ArtzZone Studio, which provides high quality visual arts instruction to people of all ages in a comfortable environment that encourages creative exploration and personal expression. The studio is a spacious, stimulating, creative space where experimentation is encouraged. ArtzZone has recently launched a unique new program - Creative Kids At Cottonwoods - in which students aged 6-13 have an opportunity to volunteer at the extended care facility in Kelowna for one hour twice per month. Students work with the senior residents one-on-one creating art that is inspired by interacting and telling stories.
Children benefit from engaging in the creative process of making art - whether it be, through drawing, painting, sculpting, printing or any other art or craft form. They learn technical skills that build visual-spacial abilities and develop an array of mental habits not emphasized elsewhere in the school curriculum. The capacity to be reflective, the willingness to experiment and learn from mistakes, the ability to work on projects for a sustained period of time and to persevere through frustration are all important life lessons. Through art making a child finds her/his own personal voice and learns to express ideas and emotions in healthy ways. Self confidence and a sense of accomplishment are positive outcomes of participating in visual arts programs.
In addition to advancing the development of mental and physical capabilities, art classes instill an aesthetic appreciation that adds to the richness of children's lives. Through the study of art children learn about their culture and heritage. When they create their own art they can see where they fit and how they contribute to our cultural mosaic. Children who have the ability to see new patterns, learn from their mistakes, envision solutions and imagine possibilities, will grow up to be a positive influence in society and will impact our world's future.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE
Arts for All Ages: Igniting the Creative Spark takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 129th event the Okanagan Institute has held since the Express series got underway in July 2007.
Express has played host to many Okanagan luminaries, including former deputy secretary general of Amnesty International Derek Evans, artists Lee Claremont and Gary Pearson, BC Book Award nominee Don Gayton, CBC Literary prize winner poet Harold Rhenisch, distinguished editor and author Jim Taylor, poet laureate and professor John Lent, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, community activist Don Elzer, dancer David LaHay, architect Jim Meiklejohn, culinary artist and writer Heidi Noble, broadcaster Marion Barschel and many others from a wide range of creative fields.
The Okanagan Institute is a group of creative professionals that has gathered around the goal of providing events, publications and services of interest to enquiring minds in the Okanagan. We partner with individuals, organizations, institutions and businesses to achieve optimal creative and social impact.
Our mission is to ignite cultural transformation, catalyze collaborative action, build networks and foster sustainable creative enterprises. We invite the participation by all members of the creative community.
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