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Food For Thought

Check back here to see how Sa-Hali art students explored the theme of food. Making sense of contemporary mass production and contrasting it with First Nations traditions of healthy and sustainable food practices.

Fishalicious

For my art piece, I created a silhouetted person dip netting. I chose to do this because fisheries are harming our naturally bred fish by flushing artificial waste from the farmed fish into the natural environment. Fisheries affect abundance, spawning potential, and population parameters (growth, maturation, etc.) I made many changes and corrections throughout the creation process of my painting. For example I was originally going to do a fishery truck dumping their fish into the water someone was dip netting in, but my teacher helped me to understand that my painting didn’t need to be so complicated. I wanted a lot of bright colours to show how happy it made our environment seem that my person wasn’t harming the planet by littering extra fishing line on the ground and the fish were natural. Since I am in both Mrs. Cacaci’s art class and Mrs. Adkins’ foods class, my knowledge of how the First Peoples lived has improved greatly, twice as much than if I was just in one of the two classes. Overall, I’m happy with how my, and my peers’ projects turned out!

Brooklynn Ayotte
Grade 9

Art Changes People. People Change the World!

High School Art Students at South Kamloops Secondary really put their hearts into their recent class project. Starting with the belief: “Art changes people. People change the world,” a dedicated group of girls set their sights on women in poverty. After thoughtful research and dynamic class discussions, these junior art students believed they could create artworks to reflect, not just the problems girls and women face, but their belief in the strength of women and how they can be the catalysts of change. 

Students were encouraged to look at different regions around the world and research some of the specific hardships girls and women endure. Next, students looked at the positive actions taken by humanitarian groups/organizations, empowering women through education and financial aid. The students quickly recognized that A LOT of people are actively involved; empowering, supporting and inspiring women.

The next step was image development and the question of how to arrange images and colours to create a compelling message; how to reveal hardships and yet suggest hope. In the end, this project engaged the students to think creatively and to think with empathy. For the students, the more they believed in the message, the more they challenged themselves to improve their technical skills and understanding of the principles of art. They really believed in the images they created, and in the potential to communicate something bigger than themselves. For me, it was inspiring to see this; to listen to their dialogue and watch as they created twenty five, diverse and uniquely compelling artworks!


In January, the students committed to posting one artwork a day to our blog, Make Art For Change. They worked through the challenging process of titling and writing artist statements to support their artwork. Then, using facebook and twitter we tackled getting the message “out there”. As a classroom teacher it is often my goal to get artwork viewed beyond the classroom walls, but getting it out to the world through the Internet was really exciting. Thank you to everyone who has viewed it so far and helped to share our message of Hope.

Girls are Valuable

My art piece is focused on Egyptian women helping the world with its difficulties. It shows that one person can take the effort to try and get the message out there; that women everywhere don't have enough rights.  Or, that women are getting them taken away by governments controlled by men  -  "but forget about it and don't change anything." But we can make changes.  So I made this to remind everyone that this world can be a better place.


Genessa, Grade 9

Make A Change

My art shows that First Nations people stick together no matter what. Wherever life takes you, stand up for your self. Don't lay low and just wish it would just go away. Make a change and use your voice.

Jill, Grade 9

Release Freedom

My artwork focuses on women in Afghanistan who have no identity.  The Taliban have striped women of the their basic human rights.  Women are forced to wear burqas, long robes that cover them from head to toe.  Most women are unable to have a job or attend most schools, and their opinions are oppressed.  Women can be publicly beat or killed for violating Taliban restrictions.  Only 1-2% of Afghan women have identity cards.  My picture shows how women in Afghanistan have no identity or way to be different.  The woman in yellow at the back is standing and releasing a bird into the sky, symbolizing her freedom and strength.  The women close to her are glowing yellow, showing the effects of empowerment she has on them, and how they can change.

- Christina, Grade 10

We Can Change the World

My artwork is an acrylic painting. I decided to use acrylic because it's a bold look - and women are bold! The woman in my artwork is Rosie the Riveter. Rosie is one of the women who took the responsibility of the workforce during World War II. The widespread male enlistment left, leaving many industrial labour forces with little or no employees. Between 1940 and 1945, women in the U.S workforce increased from 27 percent to 37, and by 1945 nearly one out of four married women were out of the house doing a "man's" job.
The original image stated, "We Can Do It;" however, I altered it in my image to state "We Can Change the World," because if, "We Do It," we can change the world for the better!
We need to come together as a group and become leaders. We, as women, need to stand up for our rights and for every women that has life circumstances preventing her from succeeding, being happy, and being an independent woman. This is an issue and it needs to be seen! It needs to be fixed!

Nicola, Grade 10

The Power of a Dragon.

I chose Chinese culture for my project because millions of families resort to abortion and infanticide to make sure their child is a boy (world news msnbc.com). The traditional thinking is best described in the ancient book of songs 1000-700 b.c. 'When a son is born, Let him sleep on the bed, Clothe him with fine clothes, And give him jade to play...When a daughter is born, Let her sleep on the ground, Wrap her in common wrappings, And give broken tiles to play.' So, for my artwork, I painted a dragon with a girl holding it up. I drew this because the symbolism in my artwork is that "one girl can have the power of a dragon."

- Laura, Grade 9

The Power To Take Over

In China, 190 girls are abducted each day. These girls are getting stolen for the use of sexual servitude, for a forced marriage and many other tragic things. In my artwork, I have a young girl being protected by the sun, the sun is protecting her from all the horrifying monsters so that she has the chance to have an education, find happiness and love; instead of living in a world you could never imagine surviving in. In my artwork, I also want people to understand that art CAN change people and people CAN change the world and hopefully this makes a difference in the near future.

Rylea, Grade 9

Helping Hands

My artwork is about how one person can make a difference and escape poverty. My artwork represents a woman leading young children out of the grey, horrible life they live and into one filled with education and jobs of their choice, and many other things. In this process I learned some of the horrible things people do to women in different regions of the world. I think Art Can Change People. People Change the World is true, because some people just listen and don't do anything to help, but with art it may help people to visualize what actually goes on and get a clear perspective on these types of issues women struggle with in our everyday life. It may persuade people to do something about it. People need to know about some of the issues women struggle with.

The Unknown Pain

My picture is done in watercolour and ink. I organized my picture according to the rule of thirds. It represents a woman being empowered by her country. I chose Russia as my region because its problems don't get as much attention as third world countries. The main issue I chose to focus on was violence against women. In 1993 14,000 women in Russia were murdered by their husbands or lovers. I was inspired by the bold colours of St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square. The Cathedral symbolizes Russia's proud history, and the woman symbolizes all of the abused women in Russia that don't have the power to leave. She has the power to walk away because she is inspired by the strength of her country.  Empowering and educating women is so important because women who are educated are less likely to be abused.

Delaney, Grade 10

Walking In Style?

My painting is a representation of mother earth, the empowerment of women, and the sacrifice women face in their everyday lives. In my painting I have a young single mother holding her pregnant stomach as the world, and a stiletto shoe. The stiletto shoe I put in to make the statement "Try Walking In Her Shoes". This statement to me means a lot because there is so many people in this world who are careless or oblivious to what woman go through in lives of poverty. One of the things I want people to realize is that woman and single mothers all over the world are a leading movement, they are the driving force in the economy. Women suffer everyday trying to provide for their children, keep a household, and provide food...but still can't afford a pair of shoes. In the meantime, the more fortunate are just sacrificing there feet to pull off a pair of fancy shoes. Look at the difference, open your eyes, and make a change. Next time your looking at a pair of over expensive shoes that you cant afford, think of the single mothers all over the world who are in need. We can make a difference.

- Makayla, Grade 9

The Tunnel of Power

In my artwork, a lonely girl is staring through her "destiny", which is symbolized as a dangerous, windy path surrounded by murky water. At the end, there's the darkest point or the hardest point that leads to the light. The tunnel symbolizes the hardest part of her life, which ends in peace. The globe of yellow represents power and strength and the women surrounding it are gathering the power. The ghostly woman below is clearly holding up the whole system with one finger. I arranged it so that you look at the bright red dress, your eyes slowly move up the tunnel and up to the top were the light is. I made it so that the painting is darker and gloomier down below, but is bright and cheery higher up. The hand on the globe symbolizes power, which is also connected to the girl in the red dresses hand. I want people to understand from my painting that no matter how rough or hopeless a woman in poverty may feel, that if she carries on, there can be light at the end of the tunnel. It surprised me the most that even in the 21st century, women are still treated with so much disrespect. I also will continue to contribute to our website. I really  hope that it will make a difference because that's what art does.

The Path to Success

My picture shows a girl that has been given the chance to walk down the path of education. It shows that education can open doors for young girls to have a chance at a happy life. Two thirds of all uneducated people are women. Girls who are uneducated are likely to  be discriminated against and continue to live in poverty. "For every year a girl spends in school, she raises her family income by up to 20%" (care.ca). My picture does not represent a certain country because I believe all girls need to be educated. Education opens doors to all sorts of other opportunities. Having an education empowers a woman to do things that she might have never even dreamt of before. I think that we have been presented with a chance to help people, and we are doing our best to show all that with our art.

- Jenny, Grade 10

I Have A Voice

For my project I decided to focus on the oppression of women, not by physical violence, but when they are oppressed by being denied the right to speak up. On the face of the girl in my painting is the phrase 'I have a voice' in forty different languages because I wanted to try to incorporate as many different nationalities into my art work as possible. I chose to represent Rwanda in particular though by using typical racial markers for Rwandan people as guide lines for painting the girl. Rwanda is one of the countries that has come the farthest in terms of feminism in the past decade or so with 56% of the MP's on their parliment being women. That is a higher percentage than any other country (yes even in the West) ever! In that time, issues of domestic violence, equal pay rights, and human trafficking have been brought to attention. Rape has also been made a serious crime that is punishable by life sentence in jail. This just shows that when women are given a voice in their communities they can make a positive change in our world.

Maia, Grade 9

Proper Education

134 million children between the ages of 7-18 have never been to school.  Girls are more likely to go without schooling than boys. In the Middle East and North Africa, girls are much more likely than boys to be denied access.  My artwork represents girls who deserve a chance at education. I painted an open book with women holding hands in the background. Listed on the book is some of the countries in poverty. I believe if girls were given more of a chance to go to school they could help change the world and inspire more girls to get a good education.

- Dakota, Grade 9

Sharbat Gula

Many people may recognize this iconic girl portrayed in my artwork; “The Afghan Girl”. This portrait was photographed by Steve McCurry in 1984 and was seen across the globe as readers of the National Geographic magazine were mesmerised by the haunted look in her eyes. Sharbat Gula was a refugee of the Soviet invasion (1979 to 1989), whose bombing murdered her parents. With nothing but war in Afganistan, she fled to Pakistan. Later in the decade, during a lull in the in the attack, Sharbat was able to return to her village. But in 1989 alone there were 200,000 refugees fleeing the country. Currently there are 3 million Afghan refugees throughout the world who need support. Sharbat's story is as powerful as  her eyes, which exude the perseverance and determination to survive. She is a fighter, she is strong and she is an inspiration to all. 

- Helena, grade 10

Girls Help Hold Up The World

My artwork focuses on girls in India that are unable to go to school. I chose India because there are a lot of unprivileged girls there. More than 50 per cent of girls fail to enrol in school because they have to stay home and work and also because of gender discrimination and poverty. Those that do go to school, are likely to drop out by the age of 12 (america.cry.org). My art shows how girls help to hold up the world. I believe if more girls had the chance to go to school it would be a better world because they would have new ideas that they could contribute to making the world a better place.  I hope my artwork inspires everyone to stand up and make a difference in the world!

- Anisha, Grade 9

Brighter Life

My artwork represents how educated women can help lead other women out of poverty into brighter futures. In many countries, women are often oppressed, uneducated, or sold into prostitution, but if even a few women are empowered, they can change these conditions for others. The region which I was trying to represent is Nepal. I did this by incorporating the mountainous landscape. From this project, I learnt that in a survey of Nepalese women ages twenty to forty-nine, sixty percent were married as children. These early marriages are a contributing factor to the lack of education for girls in Nepal. However, education could break the cycle of poverty, early marriages, and lack of education. The colours represent the difference education can make in women's lives, and how important their education really is.

- Megan, Grade 10

Escaping Poverty

My artwork is about having a hand in helping woman around the world out of poverty. I painted three hands  of different skin colours holding a key that unlocks the door of poverty. The handle of the door is a world. Women only own 1% of the world's land! The women's hands that I painted are from Africa, Asia, and South America. In Africa, girls carry buckets of water on their heads all day for their family, instead of going to school. In Asia, baby girls are aborted before birth because they aren't boys! And in South America, a girl's parents can sell her off for money.
From this process I've learnt that in Canada, woman/girls are very fortunate. I've learnt that anyone, of any age, can lend a hand in helping out woman in the world out of poverty. Also, I believe that this issue is more important than most things we see in the media and people should know about the problems women face each day.

- Taylor, Grade 9

Be Great!

"Be Open-Minded" Alex, Grade 10

I stopped what I was doing and looked across my classroom, an art room crowded with teenagers. Students gathered supplies, dragged stools into place and opened books. Across the room someone knocked a bucket of markers onto the floor. There were pockets of conversation, chatter about the weekend, and laughter at some joke told just beyond my earshot. Then, almost imperceptibly, the room became calm and uncharacteristically quiet as students began to focus on the task at hand.

For the past seventeen years, I have been a high school art teacher in Kamloops, British Columbia, a job I am passionate about! My days are busy, noisy and messy. I am surrounded by teenagers and inundated with tasks, activities, and questions. While some people may find this surprising, a room full of teenagers can be quiet—if they are focused and creatively engaged.

As an Art teacher, I teach students to draw, paint and sculpt. I offer strategies for creating aesthetically pleasing artworks and encourage students to recognize the beauty in the world around them. As well, I think it is increasingly important to empower students with the knowledge that their ideas matter, that their art can communicate powerful messages.

Working closely with teens, I am acutely aware of the pressures students are under. They are navigating family problems, health issues, financial stresses, school grades— the list goes on. By the time students reach high school, experience has already taught them that life is competitive, times stressful, and circumstances not always fair. So it is understandable that teens may become frustrated and react impulsively with negative attitudes and behaviours.

I came up with the “Be Great” project to challenge students to consider “strength of character” as a theme for their artwork. I encouraged them to think about ways in which positive behaviours impact their daily interactions with people around them. In groups and as a class, we brainstormed a long list of possible ideas. Individually, students were tasked with choosing one positive characteristic to represent in a visually compelling painting. Imagery, composition, colour theory and painting techniques were all necessary considerations.

It was only a short time into this process when I discovered that “moment of silence”, the moment when I knew everyone was fully engaged in the process, and creative problem solving had begun. All I had to do was wait for their visual solutions.
   
As this class celebrated positive human attributes, they began to see how people can choose to behave differently. Rather than being competitive, frustrated, disconnected, greedy, or bitter, individuals can be generous, resilient, engaged, innovative, and thankful.The students also recognized that by focusing on positive characteristics and behaviours, they can change not only their own experiences but enhance the experiences of others around them.
    
The students seemed to get it. By creating and sharing these artworks, they demonstrated that we can be optimistic about our future. Being positive and engaged in what we do is fundamental to success and happiness.

Wouldn’t it be great if more and more young people (and adults) were talking about this? And then doing something about it. As if it was the most important thing in the world.

Be Strong

The lion and the lilies represent strength and that is everything my art is about. Being strong has many different meanings, such as physical and emotional strength. It is important to be strong physically to stay healthy and fit.  It is important to be emotionally strong because when people put you down it won't impact you as much, because you will keep your head held high no matter what they say. Ever have one of those days where you just want to cry your eyes out, but you hold back you tears? When you do that it shows how strong you are. It doesn't matter what people do, say, or how they act. keep your head held high and don't let it get to you. We are all stronger than we think.
                                                        
Haley, Grade 9

Be Spiritual

The word I decided to try and represent was spirituality. To convey spirituality I decided to paint a girl with long, blond, flowing hair, pale skin and a halo above her head. I wanted her to appear almost angelic, seeing as many people believe in a higher power when talking about spirituality. I painted her hands to make it look like she's in a praying position to try and drive the point home. I decided early on to paint her with relatively cool colours. I felt it would emphasize her golden-yellow hair that appears to be spreading sort of like a bird's wing. To me, spirituality is an important characteristic to have, bringing almost a sense of optimism and contentedness. If everyone adopted this trait, I think the world would be a much better place. We might just be a little more conscious of how we treat others. Hopefully this painting will inspire just a few people to be a little more spiritual in their lives.

Aaron, Grade 9

Be Compassionate

If people practised compassion I believe that the world could greatly benefit.  Compassion is very scarce in our world today.  It seems as though people are always too stressed in their own lives to think about other people.  If we all practised  a little more compassion in our lives, people would be happier and potentially friendlier toward people of other nations.

-Keri-Ann, Grade 9

Be Fearless

For my art project I chose the word fearless. I chose to paint a skier hitting a jump to represent fearlessness because, just like skiing, being fearless requires commitment and going through with what you set out to do. I feel that often people fear things because they have never done them before, even if they are capable. People should follow their dreams and face their fears.

Liam, Grade 9

Be Active

For my artwork, I chose the title, "Be Active".  I painted a  man crossing the finish line after a race.  Being active is important because a lot of people these days aren't very active and do not include very much, or any, physical activity in their daily lives. This can make people feel tired and lazy.  When people are active they can feel positive and energized.  This is why everybody should try to be active as much as possible.

Alex, Grade 9

Be Empowered

The word empowered can mean a lot; whether you're empowered as one, or empowered as all. To be empowered means to have power; to make things happen for good and sometimes even bad. In my mind, to be empowered is to make something big and good happen. My picture describes being empowered by voting for a president who promises to change the bad things and make everything better, such as clean cities. Although being empowered can be taken the wrong way, I believe we can do good with it. 

-Danya, Grade 10

Be Confident

My artwork shows a guy posing in front of a sun set on a hill. He doesn't have too big of muscles, but his shadow is showing very big muscles. This is meaning he has confidence in who he is. All that confidence takes is accepting who you are. Confidence is a big part in life and needed for many things. It takes confidence to get a job, to stand in front of a crowd, it takes confidence to get through troubles in life. With confidence people have a much greater chance of doing amazing things.

Kelsey L. Grade 9

Be Colourful

I chose the word colourful for this painting. I think being colourful is a good quality to have. Being colourful doesn't necessarily mean wearing bright clothes, or extravagant makeup.  To me, it means being friendly, cheerful and inviting toward others;  being happy overall. Choosing to be happy puts yourself in a good mood, and that can lift the moods of others around you. I chose the colours red, green, blue, and yellow because they are cheerful colours. They are different enough from each other, that against one another they stand out and don't blend together creating one dimensional colour. The woman's makeup adds interest to her face and makes her appear more colourful. The ink details emphasize the image making it look overall more interesting; much like people with colourful personalities.

Jane, Grade 9

Be Creative

In my artwork, I showed representations of creativity. Creativity is used for many different things, from the plays we watch, to the things we invent. Creativity also has an effect on people's lives. If it wasn't for singing and songwriting, Justin Bieber wouldn't be the person he is today. Also we wouldn't have the variety of clothes we have, because designers use their creativity to come up with designs.  People are all interested in various types of creativity.  Some of the creative activities I incorporated into my art include: dance, guitar, drama, photography, piano, and painting. Creativity can help people in many ways; by doing something you love, you will not be tempted to do bad things. By adding creativity to our lifestyle,  people will be happy at the end of the day because they will have done something they love. Creativity has a big effect on our lives - that's why we love it!

Bonnie, Grade 9

Be Brave

My painting represents how we as a community have to stand up and be brave against what we fear the most. In my artwork, the monster represents pollution and how it can take over and wipe fear into people's lives. Essentially, the monster could mean anything, from fearing big things like power, or a small fear like a bully at school.  I wanted my painting to let people know that it's OK to be afraid, but you can't let it run your life and get you down. You've got to stay strong, and be brave.

Maddie, Grade 9

Be Strong

This painting is about people coming together as one, to stand strong against forces that are trying to over-power society.  The large symbol in the background is the symbol of a group which supposedly controls all of the world's affairs and ultimately tries to control the people. This leading to a new world order. I feel that this is not a good thing because we will have no more privileges, or be able to do things we like, and all we would be able to do would be to follow commands. This drawing represents that we can stand strong against forces bigger than us.

Jonah, Grade 10

Be Kind-Hearted

My artwork represents being kind-hearted. In the middle there is a girl with energy flowing out of her heart. Inside the swirl of energy there are words that connect to being kind-hearted. In the background there's a light wash of warm colours, the girl is darker and outlined  making her more bold. She has a big heart which symbolizes kindness. I think being kind-hearted is very important.

Ruby, Grade 10

Be Peaceful

My water colour painting represents that it is important to be a peaceful person in our world. Being peaceful gives us an opportunity to escape from the world we live in and use time for ourselves. In today's society, being an individual is becoming less and less of a good thing. It is important to reconnect with who you really are and what you enjoy instead of being influenced by the "cookie cutter' world around us.

Alana, Grade 9

Be Unique

My painting is supposed to display the idea of being unique. It symbolizes stepping out into the world and being who you really are, rather than just who you think you should be. I want people to see that just being different can change your whole outlook on life. I showed happiness, in the face of the girl which is unique because the people in the background were not very happy. I want to show the world that it's okay to stand out; to be more than just another face in the crowd. If everyone embraced their uniqueness it could help to bring bullying to its knees, and help to make the world less critical and more accepting. I believe that even just a simple picture can show someone, anyone, that being unique is not a bad thing. In fact, it's a great thing! It can change lives and spark dreams. 

Ally, Grade 9

Be Honourable

My word is Honourable. I chose this word because to be honoured is to be respected. Many people don't get the honour or respect that they deserve and others get honour and respect that they have not earned. In the painting itself, the battle worn soldier lays his hand on the statue of a great king's sword; getting ranked/dubbed as a more honourable knight. To be honoured and to show honour is important because everyone deserves some honour to a certain degree. The lack of honour and honourable behaviour in the world is too great, and it should change.


Dean, Grade 10

Be Grateful

In my artwork there is a girl with her arms outspread taking in the beauty around her. I wanted people to understand that it is important to take a moment to realize the beauty all around us. I represented gratitude. It is easy to complain about our problems and take things for granted, but very hard to count our blessings and be grateful. So I challenge all of us! Gratitude is one of the most powerful motivators, and it is important to feel for the things we are so fortunate to have. If everyone was grateful, the wonders of life would be appreciated and there would be more joy. From this process I have learnt that we all need to take more time from our days just to look around us and be happy for what we have, and to really enjoy it.

Heather, Grade 10

Be Imaginative

In my artwork, I am showing futuristic thoughts - what could possibly happen in the coming years, if we are all imaginative. Some examples are the flying cars, the robot and the rockets to the moon, which has buildings on it.  The lyrics are to help represent the drawings like the giraffe/zebra and the lollipops on the tree. These drawings show things that would probably never happen, but it shows how imaginative a young mind can be. There are also some symbols in my painting: the infinity sign symbolizes that there are endless possibilities when it comes to your imagination. The rainbow cylinder signifies a mind exploding with ideas. The brown stairs behind it corresponds to technology getting more advanced in stages. I chose the word imaginative because I always try to be imaginative in everything I do. I strongly believe if you use your imagination and are open to new ideas, you could be capable of more than you think you are. In this process, I have realized that the world is changing at a fairly quick tempo, and if people put their positive, imaginative foot forward, we have the chance to change the world in more ways than one.

Teghan, Grade 10

Be Spirited

Be spirited. All the stress in your life might be bringing you down and taking away your fun, but that is no excuse to not be spirited. We need people who can have fun and enjoy whats going on. fill your life with happiness and joy. You need to spread your spirit to all those who forgot they had one. All those dull people around you need some colour in there life so let it shine. Remember life has a purpose and that purpose is for us to live to our life to the fullest. So live large. Let your spirit fly.

Kelsey, Grade 9

Be Resilient

I chose the word resilient because it's important that people be resilient against problems big or small. In my art I have shown some large scale issues; like natural disasters, blackouts and pollution, with a girl holding them up.  She is stronger than the problems she faces. The problems in my art are problems that effect people around the world, but there are also other things we have to overcome. Resilience is key to overcoming many global issues.

Georgia, Gr. 9

Be Innovative

The word I attempted to portray is to be innovative.  I chose this word because our world is in constant demand of creative and ingenious new thinking.  These ideas could improve minor details of our daily lives or be a solution to a worldwide problem that would better mankind exponentially.  One example of symbolism in my artwork would be the light bulb to represent the beginning of the change or also the initial idea behind it.  Frankly, it only takes one person to make a change to our world and that person could be you! "The future is purchased by the present." -Samuel Johnson.

Samantha, Grade 10.

The Animals Only Voice

A group of young art students were surprised to discover that British Columbia does not have endangered species legislation! Proudly claiming the title of, "Beautiful BC" and, "The Best Place on Earth," it seems ironic that British Columbia is failing to protect the over 1600 species at risk! From the grizzly bears to the great blue herons to the rattle snakes; BC is the most biologically diverse province in the country. These artworks represent the students initiative to take action; to recognize the species that make British Columbia so diverse.

The compelling artworks bring attention to both the beauty and the plight of many vulnerable animals in BC.  To make their images authentic, the students researched their animals on the internet.  They found information on habitat, behaviours, threatened ecosystems, and population declines.  The students looked at the problems facing these animals and considered some possible solutions. 

After gathering the necessary information, students needed to compose their images to convey this information; to grab the  viewers attention and force them to think. Some artists included words or symbols to strengthen their message, while others considered colour combinations and  watercolour techniques to further enhance their images. The result is a richly varied impression of some of the beautiful species currently endangered or at risk in British Columbia.

We hope these paintings speak to you.
"We are the animals only voice!"
 

Colours of Pollution

The animal that is featured in my watercolour painting is a Red-necked Phalarope.  The Phalarope are soon to be endangered in British Columbia. In my painting, the chosen colours represent the pollution in our waterways that is caused by cities and agricultural run-off. Pollution is the main reason why these animals are threatened. The buildings in the background are so dark and bold to represent how industry and agriculture have such a harsh impact on these beautiful birds. I feel that the Red-necked Phalarope needs more recognition, along with all other endangered species. I hope that our future generation has the chance to embrace the beauty of this bird.

Danya, Grade 10

No Place to Live

I did this painting to show how our growing cities are destroying what is left of the homes of many animals. When we cut down forests we are destroying their homes and, for some species such as the Northern Saw-Whet Owl, we are destroying their breeding grounds. The Northern Saw-Whet Owl is the smallest species of owl in B.C., they also need trees to give birth to their young. If the cities continue to grow, many species will either die or leave B.C.. Do you want beautiful B.C. to turn into devastated B.C.?

Harry, Grade 10