Dedicated middle-school artists transform barrels to benefit Assiniboine Park
Each year, the Assiniboine Park Garden Party committee seeks creative ways to keep the flowers watered and the grounds maintained.
This time, it involved five rain barrels, many cans of paint and the dedication of young artists.
On Thursday evening, the works of middle-school artists were placed among those of renowned sculptors at Assiniboine Park’s annual garden party auction, which closes on Sept.8.
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For several months, 11 Stanley Knowles School grades 7 and 8 students, including Olivia Ledrew, spent their lunch hours painting a set of animal-themed rain barrels to support the Assiniboine Park’s various gardens.
For several months, 11 Stanley Knowles School grades 7 and 8 students spent their lunch hours painting a set of animal-themed rain barrels to support the park’s various gardens.
“The students who committed to this project were absolutely amazing,” said art teacher Nadia Kmet. “They gave up their noon hours, they came to the art room, they were focused from start to finish.”
Only a day into the week-long auction, two out of five barrels received $500 bids. Two were marked at $350, and another at $375.
And there are still several days to go.
“If you’re a 13-year-old kid and somebody is paying $500 for your work, that’s kind of exciting,” said Assiniboine Park Garden Park committee co-chair Neil Wilcox.
“Maybe it will inspire them to pursue art as their passion in life, and hopefully it will have some impact on their willingness to continue to be philanthropic and give back to the community.”
It all began last fall, when Wilcox reached out to Kmet about the idea of painting barrels for this year’s auction.
Kmet was immediately on board, but getting barrels proved somewhat difficult. Eventually, a supplier offered a set of 10 repurposed shipping barrels for the team, and Kmet took five.
In February, the students were bused to Assiniboine Park Zoo to check out the animals and their landscapes.
That’s where Carine Cruz found her idea.
“When we went to the zoo, it was still really snowy outside. The polar bear exhibit there had so much ice on it, and I took a lot of inspiration from how snowy their environment is,” the Grade 8 student said.
Other, such as Grade 7 student Olivia Ledrew, opted to paint tropical themes. Her team’s work, which features a vibrant-coloured toucan perched on a tree, currently has a $375 bid on it.
“I feel really proud,” Olivia said. “It’s so crazy to me.”
The months-long process was powered by teamwork, trust and a strong itch to see the finished project, said Grade 8 student Ojasvi Bhardwaj.
“We made templates, we primed the barrels, cleaned them, we traced the template onto barrels, we painted the entire thing, then just finishing touches,” Ojasvi said. “And that’s it!”
It wasn’t an easy feat to pull off. Most of the young artists had never painted on a three-dimensional medium. Carine spent three days practising her sketch of an iceberg before painting it on the barrel.
“We learned so much about teamwork, trust, patience and how to handle things under pressure,” she said.
Wilcox said he’s in awe of the students’ — and their teacher’s — commitment to the project. As a former teacher and vice-principal, he is well aware of the challenges and rewards that come with educating middle-schoolers.
“You see not only the dedication of these kids but also of Nadia,” he said. “She gave up her lunch hour every day to work with these kids.
“When you can do something and get something that you’re working on with the kids that really sparks passion in them, it comes right back to you, as well.”
Credit: Dedicated middle-school artists transform barrels to benefit Assiniboine Park
