Milton students decorate Pan Am helmets
Eight Milton schools participated in a Pan Am Games-inspired art bike helmet project.
From early May to the second week of June, art instructors from the Milton Centre for the Arts travelled through classrooms working with kids to paint Pan Am-themed helmets.
The centre worked closely with local charity Arts Milton and the Pan Am Ignite program, which promotes community involvement in the games.
Students from preschool to grade eight were involved in the project.
“We asked them to think about how the Pan Am Games fit into their class community, so a lot of helmets used school colours or mascots,” said project co-ordinator Eilidh Fisher.
They were also really interested in depicting Pan Am’s official mascot, Pachi, she said.
Lisa DiNatale, a teacher at Sheridan College and art instructor at the Milton arts centre, said she went to eight or nine classes in different schools.
“As a group we designed and painted a helmet … they were actually kind of difficult to paint on because of the ridges and holes,” she said.
DiNatale broke the process down and divided the kids into groups, taking common themes from each design for the final product.
“A big thing that we stressed in classrooms is that you can celebrate things like sports through the arts, the two are not mutually exclusive things. They can be combined and celebrated together,” said Fisher.
The helmets cannot be used by Pan Am athletes because the sanding and painting destroy the integrity, but they will be put on display.
On July 10, the Milton arts centre will host a viewing of the opening ceremonies, where the helmets can be seen.
Fisher said there are also plans for the art projects to travel to various places throughout the city with hopes they’ll be able to be displayed at the Milton velodrome.
There are 37 helmets in total, all of which will eventually be returned to their respective classrooms.