SHSM students explore museum curation, art therapy and more while earning certifications
October 26, 2017
GUELPH, Ontario – Students from three secondary schools in the Upper Grand District School Board have earned a number of certifications in the arts and culture sector.
On Wednesday Oct. 25, students from the board’s Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) Arts and Culture program were in downtown Guelph for a day of learning organized by SHSM and Career Education Council staff.
Fifty-five students from Guelph CVI, John F. Ross CVI, and Erin DHS earned their certifications in Curatorial Techniques, Interactive Art Form, and Advanced Training – Art Therapy.
For the Curatorial Techniques certification, students explored the Guelph Civic Museum. The museum is home to more than 13,000 artifacts, 11,000 archival pieces, 11,000 photographs and hundreds of stories. Students got a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum, designed a small exhibit and had a hands-on learning experience looking at various artifacts housed in the basement of the museum.
Donning white gloves, students examined various artifacts, trying to guess what they were once used for, and received a lesson from museum staff on the history of each piece. Some examples of the pieces examined included a sock darner from the 1920s and an artillery shell from the First World War, which took on a second life as Trench Art when it was turned into an ink well by a soldier in the trenches.
For the Interactive Art Form certification, students took a guided walking tour of Guelph, learning about where the city began, how it has grown and who contributed to the formation of the city.
The workshop for the Advanced Training – Art Therapy certification was held at Silence Sounds, a music incubator in downtown Guelph. The workshop incorporated dozens of instruments from around the globe to explore how world cultures use sound, music, rhythm and the human voice to promote states of well-being.
Learn more about the SHSM Arts and Culture program at www.ugdsb.ca/shsm.