Those Cranky High School Teachers!

Alright, I finally made it to the TDSB Art workshop: "Understanding Contemporary Art." It was run by a very knowledgeable instructor and she did a good job of talking to a bunch of art teachers about a BIG topic that's difficult to encapsulate in one evening. She sped through the last hundred years or so in modern art, and then went into a great deal of detail on four current contemporary artists working in different disciplines: Janet Cardiff, Kent Monkman, El Anatsui, and an Iranian photographer whose name escapes me without my notebook handy.

I was the only primary teacher in attendance and I wish some friendly Grade 3 teacher had come along. If you're a secondary teacher who happens to be reading this - I'm sure there are plenty of friendly, funny high school teachers out there, so don't take offense. There just weren't any happy people at this workshop. It was raining outside and the mood inside was grim and humourless. Lot's of chin stroking and astute observations. A few times, I felt like yelling, "Someone tell a joke. Please!" Nevertheless, I learned a few things, so it was worthwhile.

I passed the break time by taking pictures of the street scene below.

El Anatsui's work is pretty amazing. Watch the YouTube clip to hear him explain how he makes his art. This was the highlight of the evening for me.

There was a piece of installation art in the school, which I thought was beautiful and mysterious. If you're able to read the sign above, you'll see that it was a collaborative piece and their goal was to transform a space.

They used chains of garbage bags suspended from the ceiling, small mirrors, lights, and twigs.

The space was haunting and lonely.