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NEW VOICES: Vanguard Youth Arts Collective. July 15, 2022 – August 15, 2022
Artist Statement:
“Breaking Waves”, 2022
In June the Vanguard Youth Arts Collective produced a workshop called Breaking Waves for local high school students that combined text and visual art-based practices as a means of inspiring the next generation of multidisciplinary artists. We made connections to narrative-based art through drumming, storytelling, poetry sharing & analysis, as well as a creative exploration of mixed media materials.
Just as we were able to find links between text and visuals during the workshop, our inspiration for the billboard installation emerged when we began to draw parallels between artists and nature. ‘Breaking Waves’ uses a collection of action verbs to present those parallels to the public. By changing the placement of letters and modifying the spelling of words we are able to emulate the actions that are being spelled out and in a way, illustrating them with the alphabet as our medium. Combining this use of traditional writing and public art allows us to tell the story of what an artist can become, while also giving the viewer the opportunity to decide what that may look like from their perspective.
Bio:
Vanguard Youth Arts Collective are a group of creatively driven youth who act as a voice for an emerging generation of the arts within the Windsor Essex region. We are currently a team of 9 volunteers with experience in visual art, writing, music, performance, education, mental health advocacy, community-based art projects, and public art. We nurture creative development by fostering connections within the community to develop, facilitate and support arts programming including Mess Fest (2019), The 100 Journals Project (2019), The West End Art Project (2020), Beyond Borders Workshop Series, and the Sundays in the Studio Program at Art Windsor-Essex. We have participated and volunteered with other organizations in the region including United Way and Trans Wellness Ontario. Vanguard has been the recipient of multiple grants through RBC Foundation, Windsor Endowment for the Arts and the Arts Culture Heritage Fund to produce workshops, zines, and our first physical publication of the Spot On! Artist Interview Series that is slated for release by the end of 2022.
July 15, 2022 - August 15, 2022
ON Canada