Reflecting culture through art
Youth metal art workshop focuses on importance of culture
HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY, N.L. — Youth in Happy ValleyGoose Bay are connecting with culture through a new art project.
The Labrador Friendship Centre’s SHIELD project held the first of three weekend metal art fabrication courses recently. Instructor Peyton Barrett said the weekend was exciting and the young folks came up with great ideas on which to base their artwork.
“There were only five young people attending the workshop but all five were very engaged ... I was pleased,” Barrett said.
SHIELD is an acronym for Sexual Health Information Exchange Labrador District. The project encourages positive sexual health, personal wellness and healthy relationships through art, culture, and technology (ACT) empowerment opportunities and life experiences.
Barrett is teaching all three courses, which take place at the College of the North Atlantic in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
The first course taught the teens how to work with metal clay (copper and bronze) to design pieces of jewelry.
After an initial copper clay project, which was meant to initiate the youth to the art, Barrett said, the pieces were created based on their culture and history.
During the second course scheduled this week, participants explored metallurgy (copper and brass) and created pieces of art including a pendant, ring and a cultural copper wire design.
The final course, which takes place March 9-10, will focus on metal tooling and pop can art. Participants will complete two designs, one on metal to be framed with matte board and copper leaves with soldered wire stems.
The courses run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
SHIELD project co-ordinator Denise Cole said the courses were held in partnership with Community Youth Network NL.
The artwork reflects and celebrates their culture, Cole said.
“It was intentional to bring up those conversations to talk about the importance of their culture and how that connects and reflects back to the art that they create,” Cole said.