I spent much of July painting at Alexander Elementary School in Abbotsford.
About half way into the painting one of the school board administrators saw me working and called the local paper; a few days later I was interviewed for the Abbotsford Times. The link to the article is below. . . the photo in the paper wasn't the greatest so I've put a different one on this post. But the artical is pretty good. A big thanks to Dave and Jean.
http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/entertainment/Alexander+salmon+tale/7062516/story.html
About half way into the painting one of the school board administrators saw me working and called the local paper; a few days later I was interviewed for the Abbotsford Times. The link to the article is below. . . the photo in the paper wasn't the greatest so I've put a different one on this post. But the artical is pretty good. A big thanks to Dave and Jean.
http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/entertainment/Alexander+salmon+tale/7062516/story.html
Alexander's salmon tale - Local artist paints a bit of history at elementary school
BY JEAN KONDA-WITTE, - AUGUST 9, 2012
Using a high quality interior latex paint, Jay Havens is transforming the beige walls at Alexander Elementary School in Abbotsford into a work of art and a history lesson for students and staff.
Titled First Salmon Celebration, the 23-foot-long mural combines West Coast style with influences from the rest of Canada.
"I try to use First Nations themes that can carry over to any culture," said Havens, taking a break from his painting recently. "The mural at Alexander is a cultural mural for the whole student body to learn about the area they live in."
The colourful scene depicts an elder cooking salmon over a fire, a drummer, and two children dancing.
"I always try to include an elder and children, so the elder can teach the younger generation," he explained.
Havens, 30, who graduated from W.J. Mouat in 2000, is of First Nations decent from the Mohawk Nation and was always interested in visual arts and theatre in high school. He studied both disciplines at University of British Columbia and has a career in professional design and production. He's the artist in residence at the University of the Fraser Valley in Chilliwack, where he designs sets, costumes, props, masks and more.
But he also likes doing murals, which he describes as a "nice crossover from the scenics I paint on sets and props." Havens has now painted six murals for the Abbotsford School District, recently completing a mural at ASIA on Sumas Mountain, where he worked with the fine arts students there.
By the time the paint dries on his most recent work, Havens will have spent close to 60 hours on the Alexander mural, from conception to filling in the final details.
He's hoping the piece will be an inspiration to all who see it, from the youngest kindergarten students to teachers, parents and janitors . . . and give people a sense of their own culture as well as that of First Nations.
"It's passing knowledge from one generation to another," he said of the theme of the piece. "I do what I can. It seems to work."
[email protected]
Read more: http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/entertainment/Alexander+salmon+tale/7062516/story.html#ixzz24rOc4C17
Using a high quality interior latex paint, Jay Havens is transforming the beige walls at Alexander Elementary School in Abbotsford into a work of art and a history lesson for students and staff.
Titled First Salmon Celebration, the 23-foot-long mural combines West Coast style with influences from the rest of Canada.
"I try to use First Nations themes that can carry over to any culture," said Havens, taking a break from his painting recently. "The mural at Alexander is a cultural mural for the whole student body to learn about the area they live in."
The colourful scene depicts an elder cooking salmon over a fire, a drummer, and two children dancing.
"I always try to include an elder and children, so the elder can teach the younger generation," he explained.
Havens, 30, who graduated from W.J. Mouat in 2000, is of First Nations decent from the Mohawk Nation and was always interested in visual arts and theatre in high school. He studied both disciplines at University of British Columbia and has a career in professional design and production. He's the artist in residence at the University of the Fraser Valley in Chilliwack, where he designs sets, costumes, props, masks and more.
But he also likes doing murals, which he describes as a "nice crossover from the scenics I paint on sets and props." Havens has now painted six murals for the Abbotsford School District, recently completing a mural at ASIA on Sumas Mountain, where he worked with the fine arts students there.
By the time the paint dries on his most recent work, Havens will have spent close to 60 hours on the Alexander mural, from conception to filling in the final details.
He's hoping the piece will be an inspiration to all who see it, from the youngest kindergarten students to teachers, parents and janitors . . . and give people a sense of their own culture as well as that of First Nations.
"It's passing knowledge from one generation to another," he said of the theme of the piece. "I do what I can. It seems to work."
[email protected]
Read more: http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/entertainment/Alexander+salmon+tale/7062516/story.html#ixzz24rOc4C17
RSS Feed