By Nicole Neufeld, KW|AG Director of Public Programs
The Gallery’s annual exhibition of student artwork from the Waterloo Region, Expressions 37, opened to the public on a beautiful and sunny Sunday (March 18). To celebrate, we hosted a reception for more than 400 students, their family, friends, teachers, principals, and KW|AG supporters. The galleries were packed for speeches from School Board representatives, Linda Fabi and Susan Hunt, Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr, and Waterloo Councillor Angela Vieth, all commenting on the impressive artistic talent from the region.
As a rookie to Expressions myself, I was swept away by the meaning this exhibition holds for many students and teachers. Especially with this year’s theme, Collaboration, students gathered with their classmates to admire their hard work celebrated here at the regional art gallery. Ms. Caroline Keogh, whose class project North American Owl Collection was chosen as the feature artwork, said a few but impassioned words to the audience about the opportunity to honour teachers’ task of fostering creativity in young people throughout the school year.
The Expressions artist in residency program, In|sight, is featured in its own gallery space, tucked near the entrance of the main gallery. A number of participating students from Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute hung around the gallery long after the masses finished their cookies and left. They admired their work and chatted with their co-conspirator, local artist Steve Lavigne, about the process of imagining, making, and installing their work in their own gallery space.
It was a great day at KW|AG!
