BY SASHENKA PAATZ
The Art Gallery of Burlington (ABG) hosts an annual levee that allows the community to hear from some of their government representatives.
Both MPP Eleanor McMahon and MP Karina Gould spoke to a crowd of more than 150 people on Jan. 7. All ages were present, including a few more young people than usual.
This year, Grade 5 students from across Burlington were invited to share their artwork publicly.
“We start the event off with a presentation of Karina Gould’s 2018 calendar, which was created by kids,” said Robert Steven, the President and CEO of the Art Gallery of Burlington.
The community calendar displays a drawing for each month that was created by the students selected. The project was put together by the MP’s team members.
“We selected a few of the well thought out designs from students in Burlington and added them to our calendar for each month,” said Karina Gould’s community engagement officer Bianca Caramento.
Gould’s purpose in this project is to reveal students’ perspectives on Canada.
“I asked Grade 5 students in Burlington to submit a drawing under the theme ‘Canada at 300, what does our future hold?’ … The submissions my office received were fantastic. They demonstrated the artistic talents of our local youth and a promising future for our country,” said Gould introducing the calendar.
The students brought fresh ideas for how the country could look down the road. The imagination and creativity the students possess was displayed in their work.
Owen Kuypers, student at St. Paul Catholic School, was chosen for his artwork to be displayed on the January page of the calendar.
“I really like to draw and paint. I made my drawing in art class and then we entered them… I made up how Canada would change if I could choose. ” said Owen.
Owen says he enjoyed his time at the levee. He was introduced, along with his peers, to the gathering at the gallery and congratulated by Gould. The unique experience put smiles on many of the students faces.
There were many activities open for youth participation, focusing on the importance of art in Canadian culture.
“One is a map of Canada where they can draw themselves, trees, buildings or other things on the map. This gets the kids involved and feel like a part of the event,” said AGB volunteer Pat Buntain.
The students got a close look at the gallery’s six art guilds. Artisans worked on their various forms of art at booths set up around the event room.
The levee brought all kinds of people together to celebrate Canada. The students were an asset. They articulated many of the ways the country can change to become a better place. They also expressed how far the country has already come.
“The levee is a positive way to start off a promising year,” Steven.
