Art Inspiring Art for Students

Writing on the Walls 2018 Celebration (FREE Admission!)
Who: All ages welcome (free admission to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery)
What: Celebration of student writing and creativity with live readings and artwork
When: Sunday, Dec 9, 2018, 12:30 – 1:30 PM
Where: Beaverbrook Art Gallery

Writing on the Walls 2018 Exhibit:
Beaverbrook Gallery, Sobey Youth Art Space (during opening hours)

 

What is Writing on the Walls?
The Writing on the Walls program is a partnership between the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and Fredericton’s literary festival, Word Feast. The goal of the program is to support the development of student literacy skills through creative writing and an increased exposure to fine art. The program combines student compositions (prose and poetry) with the artwork that inspired the writing in a special exhibit at the gallery.

 

How does it work?
The gallery provides images of 10 pieces of artwork from its permanent collection. Each student among participating classrooms chooses one of these pieces and creates a written response. Student writings can be in the form of a poem, a short essay, or a piece of fiction (up to 400 words for prose submissions, or up to 30 lines for poetry). Student submissions are reviewed by the Word Feast Festival subcommittee and shortlisted for a Writing on the Walls prize (judged and awarded by a visiting festival author). Student submissions are then incorporated into a “Writing on the Walls” exhibit hosted at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery.

 

When does this take place?
Teachers introduce the program to their students the first week of October. Students are provided access to the works of art (via gallery handouts) and class time is reserved to enable students to develop and revise their creative responses.

The deadline for submissions is the end of October. Students are encouraged to submit as many responses as they like, though it should be noted that first draft materials will not be accepted. Teachers are encouraged to emphasize the value of a disciplined writing process, having students review and revise their compositions multiple times.

The Writing on the Walls exhibit of student compositions will run from December through January. Students (and classes and families) are encouraged to visit the Gallery to view the collected works and experience art-inspiring-art first hand.

 

Why is this program important?
Literacy is not just about reading and writing. Literacy covers a broad category of skills that includes comprehension, interpretation, criticism and the articulation of challenging ideas. The Writing on the Walls program exposes students to new forms of artistic expression and helps them explore their own creativity. Exercises in creative writing support the improvement of basic literacy and help develop skills related to self-awareness, communication and life-long learning. Artwork exposes young minds to new ideas, diverse perspectives and a cultural landscape that can create connections to the community and world beyond.