Learn, Connect, Create: Kids Half-Day Program
Thursday, July 18th | Thursday, August 15th
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre provides a welcoming and exciting environment for youth to learn, connect, and create.
This half-day program (10:00 AM to 1:00 PM) focuses on the three pillars of our organization: Art, Wellness, and Nature. This program features an outdoor exploration of our gorgeous
conservation land, and aims to cultivate an eco-conscious attitude through discussion, biodiversity, and methods of reducing environmental impact.
As an exploration of wellness, children in the program will be provided with a guided opportunity to explore our prairie Labyrinth, learning about the importance of native plant life in the process. (more information on the Labyrinth at https://www.joshuacreekarts.com/conservation/)
Along with ample opportunity to explore the outdoors, the program includes a brief tour and discussion regarding the rich history of the property at JCHAC.
The focus of the program is an upcycled art project, which provides children with an open-ended structure to experiment and explore their own creativity. Art projects will utilize natural and upcycled materials, and emphasize the importance of individual creative expression. Projects will be introduced with discussion of upcycling and some art history, encouraging children to make connections and contextualize their art.
The day will include a lunch break, and lunch will NOT be provided. Please pack a lunch and healthy snacks!
We will start at 10:00AM and end at 1:00PM. See program details for specific dates. Drop-off is at 9:45AM. Pick up should be done no later than 1:15PM
10:00 AM – Welcome and Introduction:
● Welcome students and provide an introduction to Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre (JCHAC) including our mission, objectives, and typical events/programs/exhibitions.
10:15 AM – Inner Space Gallery Tour:
● Students embark on a guided tour of our inner space gallery where they will explore our current exhibition and explore its theme and context. Led by our knowledgeable staff, they will engage in discussions and learn about the artworks on display.
10:30 AM – Outdoor Exploration:
● Transitioning outdoors, students will participate in a guided walking tour of our outdoor facilities, with a discussion-based emphasis on local biodiversity & bees.
10:45 AM – Labyrinth Experience:
● Arriving at our labyrinth, students will receive an explanation of its significance and purpose. They will be provided with paper bags to personalize and encouraged to explore the surrounding grounds with their teachers for 20 minutes, collecting materials for an upcoming project.
PLEASE NOTE: As there is tall grass in the Labyrinth, guests should be advised that there is the possibility of ticks being present. Please ensure that students are dressed accordingly and take the appropriate measures before entering. OR extended gallery tour, depending on weather conditions.
11:10 AM – Upcycled Art Introduction:
● Returning to the gallery space, students will write their names on their paper bags and receive an introduction to our upcycled art project. They will learn about the distinction between upcycling and recycling, discussing the environmental importance of creative reuse. Examples of innovative upcycled art will be showcased to inspire their creativity.
11:30 AM – Project Commencement:
● With a diverse array of natural and upcycled materials at their disposal, students will begin creating their own upcycled mask making projects. Under the guidance of our talented instructors, they will explore various techniques and concepts, each creating a unique piece reflecting their individual creativity and personality.
12:40 PM – Lunch Break:
● Students will take a break for lunch.
12:45 PM – Project Refinement:
● After lunch, students will resume their projects, focusing on painting and assembling their creations to bring their visions to life.
1:00 PM – Project Conclusion and Recap:
● As projects near completion, students will finalize their artworks and participate in a recap session, reflecting on their creative process and the environmental themes explored throughout the day.
About Your Instructors
Tatjana Reithofer
Tatjana is a multidisciplinary artist with a keen curiosity for crafts, visual language and culture. She graduated from OCAD U’s Sculpture & Installation program in 2020 and has since been developing her body of work. Tatjana’s practice deals with questions of cultural identity and the tension of being disconnected from one’s own roots.
Her work consists of the use of found objects, personal ‘relics’ and the integration of these items with various forms of craft such as textiles, woodworking, ceramics and other mediums.
Having spent half of her life in Puebla, Mexico, Tatjana often felt that she never quite fit in with being of European descent, Canadian or Mexican. With this multicultural and international sensibility, Tatjana’s goal as an artist and arts facilitator is to help people explore their own nuances, their relationships to their roots and lived experience through art.
Kate Morgan
Kate Morgan is a visual Artist, writer, and educator based in the Greater Toronto Area. Her work explores themes of self-study, transcendent experience, dreams, memory, awe, myth, mysticism, and the mundane. Through drawing, painting, poetry, and writing, Kate engages in a nonlinear art practice that moves alongside her own understanding of self, relationality, and the invisible.
Kate relates to the process of artmaking as a spiritual and investigatory one. Abandoning perfectionism and the desire to create something “good”, artmaking becomes a healing tool, and a playful journey towards a deeper and more compassionate understanding of the self, each other, and the world.
Kate also holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from OCAD University’s Drawing & Painting Program, works as an arts-based program coordinator, and humbly engages in the lifelong process of learning, teaching, and re-learning. With an extensive background as a visual arts educator, Kate draws from her personal practice to enrich and deepen the ways she is able to translate, reframe, and educate in regards to art, language, and creating.