Heather Latter
Stepping inside the local campus of Confederation College, you used to be greeted by bare, grey walls.
Not anymore.
The foyer now is colourful and bright since a paper maché project—made by last year’s summer youth art camp here—was installed last month.
“It’s a very ambitious camp,” noted program officer Kathy Egan.
“They create, plan, and finish by Friday.”
The one-week camp ran last July under the instruction of local artist Lindsay Hamilton.
While Hamilton had some ideas for the theme of the project, such as planning for the future or re-birth (since those who enter secondary education often are creating a better future for themselves), ultimately it was the young artists who had the final say.
“We spent the first day coming up with the theme,” noted camp attendee Kaylen Cunningham.
It was decided the theme would be “Dreaming Awake.”
“It’s quite fitting because it’s inspirational, and showcases teamwork and creativity at its best,” said local campus manager Sandra Turner.
“When people come here, it’s often to start their dreams.”
“This art installation is a reminder to all who walk through the doors of Confederation College to believe in themselves and their dreams,” reasoned Hamilton, noting the project was created using tape, glue, paper maché, tissue paper, paint, and lots of imagination.
She added it was made through a collaborative artistic process by nine youths aged 11-13, including Rachel Anderson, Terra Carlson, Kaylen Cunningham, Anna Gagne, Kaya Hammond, Aidan Kabatay, Dominick Rousseau-Krikke, Lauren West, and Tanner Williamson.
“We underestimated how awesome this project would be at the beginning,” Hamilton said about the three-dimensional art installation that has pieces suspended from the ceiling and high above on the walls as you enter through the first set of doors.
“There is so much to look at,” enthused Turner. “Everybody notices it.
“It’s eye-catching. So much better than the grey walls.”
“Themes of imagination, creativity, luck, trust, and myth come together,” explained Hamilton.
“In this space turtles carry trees, fish fly with bees, cats wave good luck, and mystical beasts share a common space in dream time.”
Cunningham said after the theme was selected, each of the youth began working on their own piece to contribute to the project.
Hers was a Chimera, which, according to Greek mythology, is a monstrous fire-breathing hybrid creature composed of the parts of more than one animal.
“I saw it in a book or two and it looked interesting,” she reasoned.
Carlson, meanwhile, enjoyed making her space unicorn.
“I like making stuff,” she remarked, adding the inspiration for her piece was a song called “Space Unicorn.”
“It was a lot of work but a lot of fun,” said Cunningham. “It looks really cool, too.
“Better than I thought it would look.”
Hamilton noted at the focal point is a dream-catcher, which represents an object and sacred tool that allows the good dreams through.
“We believed in ourselves and trusted the creative process,” she said.
“It taught us to persevere towards the creation of ‘Dreaming Awake,’ which is meant to inspire others to follow their dreams, too.”
Confederation College has been running the summer youth art camp for seven years.
“This will be our eighth year,” Egan said about the camp, which is set to run Aug. 15-19 this year, again under the instruction of Hamilton.
She noted the camps always have dealt with giving something back to the community in some form of display.
Two murals were completed in the past at the arena, as well as a temporary flower decoupage project in different locations around town.
But Egan is happy to have this art installation displayed at the college.
“The next one will probably be displayed here, too, but we’re just not sure what it will be yet,” she conceded, noting Hamilton has plenty of neat ideas for this year’s camp.
Confederation College also is offering other unique camps this summer for youth aged 11-15 in an effort to expose them to new skills and careers they may have not thought about before.
A “Make ’n Bake” camp, focusing on basic baking techniques, will run July 11-15 under the instruction of Meghan Spooner while a culinary camp will run Aug. 22-26 under the instruction of Kelly Connor.
Finally, a carpentry camp—demonstrating the use of hand and power tools, as well as building and constructing in a shop environment—will run July 18-22 under the instruction of Vince Gouin.
Camps range from $125-$140 for the week.
Egan said the college makes a point to run camps for an older age group because she feels they’re deserving of a fun program where they’re able to learn valuable lessons.
“The age target was always older youth,” she noted. “It’s meant for the kids that want a little bit more freedom and independence.
“We want them to enjoy themselves.
“The other reason we do the summer camps is to help expose kids to the college that they have in their community,” added Egan.
“It’s a positive learning experience.”
For more information, visit www.confederationc.on.ca/fortfrances or call the campus at 274-5395.
