On November 6th, we visited the Two Rivers Art Gallery altogether as a cohort, and we got to experience some incredible artwork. I don’t often visit art galleries, and I don’t consider myself to be the most competent in the fine arts field, however I always enjoy experiencing how incredibly talented people are at invoking thought and feeling with different mediums. Sofia took us on an amazing tour through the gallery and brought forward a pretty enlightening reflection exercise of the works and how it makes us feel.
First we toured through the “Nonreturnables” exhibit which featured a variety of art pieces in different ways that all explore our relationship with plastic and the social and environmental effects of it on our planet.
Moving farther into the gallery we were introduced to the “Dismantled worlds” art pieces by Jude Griebel. These sculptures were not only extremely different, but each contributed to the overall message of the, sometimes “toxic”, relationship between industry, capitalism and environment. One sculpture that really stood out to me was the depiction of a dystopian world (grey, broken and lifeless) and a large green plant that grows within the rubble. Behind the plant we can see a bright red circle (which I interpreted as the sun rising). Despite the wreckage and brokenness, the sun still rises to a new day and life moves forward. During the reflection, Sofia encouraged us to share our thoughts on the pieces and I really enjoyed hearing what different takes my classmates had for each piece. It’s amazing how one image can invoke so many different interpretations; however, what’s so inspiring about it is that each piece can inspire people in so many different ways based on their personal experiences and ways of thinking. In a way, this reminds me of our class discussions on how different our students will be in the classroom and how there is no one way of teaching that can appeal to all learners. For example, one topic can be presented in a certain way, however your students may choose to demonstrate their learning in different ways. There is no wrong way of demonstrating knowledge and understanding, the same way there is no one interpretation of art.
Sofia explained at the end of the tour that there are ample opportunities for students of all ages to come to the gallery (or the gallery can come to you!) to experience the exhibits and participate in an activity afterwards in their awesome space upstairs. With so much opportunity to explore creativity, I will definitely be pushing for an art gallery visit in my future classroom!
