November 6, 2023

Today was my first time visiting an art gallery and my experience was amazing. I did a quick scan of the Two Rivers Art Gallery before our tour began and I noticed that a majority of the exhibits I was able to see were made of repurposed single use materials. The one that stood out to me in particular was the giant tapestry made of plastic bags. Seeing the art created from or surrounding single use products was a powerful convection of what we are doing to our planet. For the future, it would be interesting to take a class to this exhibit to start a class conversation about sustainability and get them thinking of how we could repurpose materials and live sustainably.

When we got into the exhibit I was drawn to the most was the mandala in the first exhibit. I learned that what the mandala represents is vital to the survival of major organs as well as the healing process. After looking at the other pieces and having them explained, I thought the work’s placement in comparison to the other pieces was interesting. All of the other pieces revolved around plastics in some way and could “see” the mandalafrom where they were placed. There was nothing blocking its line to each of the other works within the exhibit. I really like interpreting art and I love that no two interpretations are the same. For me, this peace represented the healing that must happen with the land. The other works represented how we have treated the land and provide a way in which we can reconcile through innovation. This is something that I want to create space for my students to question and explore in my future classroom.

The following exhibit brought forth a more experiential and mindful interaction. I felt that I was able to delve further into the interpretation process by analyzing the art in new ways such as visualization and utilizing deep-breathing techniques. What I really appreciated was the idea that there is “no right or wrong” when experiencing art and that all art is subjective (thank you Sophia).  While moving through the rest of the exhibit it was neat getting to look at the sculptures from different vantage points and also listening to the perspectives of my fellow teacher candidates. This opened up space for creative collaboration and was interesting getting to know what the art made others think or feel. “If you come to this side do you notice this?” “Could you imagine if this was happening to you?”, “If you kneel down beside the sculpture, the buildings feel taller than me!” Overall, a very neat experience.

To finish off our time, we had a chance to connect with an element of land that is important to us, give the element of name, and sculpt it to the best of our ability. I chose to sculpt a tree from my grandparents’ place in Ootsa Lake which is situated on the traditional territory of the Wet’suwet’en Peoples. I had high hopes during the planning process, so the sculpting humbled me quite a bit. Memories were created among classmates at the art gallery which was incredible to be a part of because it is through experiences like these that help us remember the learning. Experiential and hands on learning opportunities are arguably the most effective in sustaining knowledge and building community. These are days that I want to create for my future students.