WE STRIVE TO SEE THE WORLD FROM A KIDS-EYE-VIEW
Bellwoods Playschool uses a child-centred, socially conscious pedagogy to engage young children in social and artistic thought and action. Using what the city has to offer, we empower our students with the knowledge to be socially and environmentally responsible citizens while they develop into explorers of their urban landscape.

WE THINK OF THE CITY AS OUR CLASSROOM
A valuable aspect of the Bellwoods Playschool program is to empower children as navigators of their city. We journey on regular excursions, by foot and by public transportation, to art galleries, museums and cultural events, as well as markets, parks and city landmarks.

WE KNOW ITS TAKES A VILLAGE

Our Playschool runs on a model that links a range of artists together to engage and inspire children. We like to bring in different perspectives and actively pursue a diverse teaching staff. As such, professional educators and artists trade chalkboards for personal anecdotes and textbooks for real life experiences. Together, they create an atmosphere that is at once intellectually stimulating and deeply personalized.


Our Community

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Wangetchi Mutu

Last Friday we went to the AGO to see Watngetchi Mutu's exhibit - - - AMAZING COLLAGES. She uses fashion magazines, national geographics and books about African art, paints and inks and found materials on mylar to express the disjointed nature of her cultural identity, referencing colonial history, fashion and contemporary African politics.

Her work is BEAUTIFUL. We looked at her art work up close, with each child pointing out images they can see (ie. motorcycle, wheels, animals, etc.) and then taking steps back to see how all those little pictures come together to make a giant picture. We also did the opposite with other pieces, first looking at them from afar, then looking at them up close to see all the little cut outs that we couldn't see. We necessarily reviewed the difference between 2D and 3D work, as when I asked them which of the two dimensions this work was, they said 3D! I made sure that we didn't go in to the darkened room, as the images there were graphic (I've seen them in a previous visit).

The boys enjoyed looking at the art and talking about it. We didn't delve deep into the politics of Mutu's work, but we did talk a little bit about how in many parts of the world, there are women who are not treated very nicely and spend more time than they want cleaning at home. They said to me, "You're not one of them, right?"

We sat and watched the film in the exhibit, showing Wangetchi explain her work and demonstrating how she creates her work. The boys liked watching her and said that 'she looks cool'. I think they liked the blue in her hair. I highly recommend this exhibit for everyone.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)