Birchwood Elementary gets grant for artist-in-residence
A St-Lazare elementary school is about to become a lot more colourful, thanks to a provincial grant to fund a temporary artist-in-residence program. Birchwood Elementary School is the first Lester B. Pearson school to be awarded the Ministry of Education’s Culture in the Schools program grant to host an artist or writer-in-residence. Over a period of 10 weeks, Birchwood’s almost 400 kindergarten to Grade 6 students will create four new art installations, including a large-scale mural, with the help of local artist Madeleine Turgeon. The art projects include brightly painted wooden bird houses to be hung on school grounds, a giant nest sculpture made from recycled materials, an art installation in the school’s atrium featuring hundreds of smaller nests made from yarn-wrapped old CDs and DVDs, and a massive new mural with brightly painted birch trees to enliven the school’s facade. Turgeon and art teacher Erin Wainwright collaborated on the program, which was designed to engage each of the school’s almost 400 students in creating art that would beautify the school while also inspiring students to learn more about the flora and fauna that surrounds them. “We’re trying to use art as a method of creating a sense of belonging at school, a sense of giving back,” said Wainwright. Wainwright has taught art at Birchwood for seven years. Each year she organizes a legacy art project for the children as a way to leave their mark on the school after graduation; but she said this year’s 40-foot-tall mural project is the biggest yet. The mural was designed by Turgeon and sponge-painted by the students on rigid Sintra PVC panels. The 60-odd pieces of the mural will need to be assembled like a giant puzzle and secured to the brick wall with the help of a rented scissor lift. The stand of birch trees illustrated in the mural isn’t just a nod to the school’s name, Wainwright said. Fast-growing birch trees have a distinct role in forest ecosystems, sheltering and nurturing new growth by protecting other species until they are mature enough to stand on their own. “We saw a parallel with school,” Wainwright said. “It’s a place for kids to learn, a place to grow, and then we let go and they leave.” The mural will also feature a giant three-dimensional sculpture of a bird’s nest created by Grade 6 students from recycled materials including metal, cedar branches, hula hoops and old electrical wires. Many of the children were among the first class of kindergartners to attend Birchwood when it opened seven years ago, so the sculpture commemorates them finally “leaving the nest,” Wainwright said. Wainwright said she hopes the mural and other art installations will be installed by June 8, when Birchwood hosts its annual family barbecue day and student art show.