EXHIBITION:

Walk The Art!

Towards Social Justice:
Empowerment = Change

March 2006 - Mississauga, Ontario…The Living Arts Centre is proud to announce their next exhibition - Walk the Art!, a Peel District School Board secondary student exhibition running from March 31 – April 23, 2006. This exhibition is sure to challenge the viewer with its powerful messages and images. The opening reception will take place on Wednesday April 5^th, from 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm in Laidlaw Hall Gallery.

With so much violence in the headlines recently, this exhibition gives students an opportunity to examine social justice issues through their artwork and speak out against violence and discrimination. Students from twenty-five participating secondary schools utilize a variety of media, from painting to photography, to convey messages of social justice, equity, and empowerment.

WTA! has adopted The Future We Want, a Peel District School Board approach to equity, as a framework to help students’ voices to be heard in the discourse surrounding these tough issues. WTA! urges students to move beyond the perpetuation of victimization, empowering them towards social change.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase their talents in a professional gallery space," says Brett Boivin, co-organizer of the event and teacher at John Fraser Secondary School in Mississauga. "The arts provide a powerful way for students to explore and express important and complex issues about our world," adds Amie Tolton, co-organizer and teacher at Turner Fenton Secondary School in Brampton. "A show of this size and magnitude is unique and rare in the respect that few boards hold or sponsor board-wide art exhibitions concerning issues of social justice and equity." WTA! allows students to recognize that they do have a voice, that their opinions do matter, and that they can make a difference, regardless of the fact that they are young. WTA! encourages youths to think critically about the world they live in, to deconstruct the visual culture that surrounds them, and empower them to take a stand against discrimination and violence.

Participating Secondary Schools: Applewood, Bramalea, Brampton Centennial, Cawthra Park, Central Peel, Chinguacousy, Clarkson, Erindale, Fletcher’s Meadow, Glenforest, Harold M. Brathwaite, Heart Lake, John Fraser, Lincoln Alexander, Mayfield, Meadowvale, Mississauga, North Park, North Peel, Port Credit, Rick Hansen, Streetsville, T.L. Kennedy, Turner Fenton, West Credit, The Woodlands

Admission is free. Laidlaw Hall is located on the second floor of the Living Arts Centre. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. The next exhibition scheduled in Laidlaw Hall is In To, Out of and Away. In conjunction with South Asian Heritage month, the artists in this exhibition express the emotions and experiences of new immigrants to Canada in a variety of media. It runs from April 28 – May 28, 2006, with an opening reception on May 4^th, from 7 – 9 pm.