Art in nature was the inspiration Visual Art Teacher Heawon Chun used when designing Elmwood’s new Visual Art Studio. Her vision of space which reflected nature at every turn impressed the Elmwood community so much so that the project quickly garnered individual donor and foundation support to help make it a reality. Since its opening in December 2019, the Studio has become a hub of creative activity for students from Grade 6 to 12.
These invested donors clearly saw Ms. Chun’s vision once she described the project and shared elements of her nature-inspired design; six large dimmable LED light fixtures represented the sun, the polished concrete floor was reminiscent of river rocks smoothed over by flowing water, and the natural wood finishes evoked forests of trees. The new space would also have an outside access door, floor-to-ceiling windows to let in natural light, and proximity to a gallery wall to display student works of art.
Most significantly, Ms. Chun illustrated the variety of work art students of all ages could accomplish in the new larger studio including; large-scale sculptures, paintings, and drawings, woodwork, carvings, and constructed pieces, as well as textile work. In addition, she described how students could design audio-visual pieces that would take advantage of the BENQ Wall Projector to create immersive works of digital art.
The construction of the Visual Art Studio would not have been possible without the support of a large group of individual donors through their annual giving to Elmwood, Gala “cash call” contributors, as well as lead donors Whitney Fox and Dan Greenberg, Kelly and Peter Hudson, and the Robert Campeau Family Foundation.
The Visual Arts Studio is only one of many priority projects that have benefited from donor support. In the 2021-2022 school year, we look to donor contributions to help make an outdoor learning space and meeting area a reality. This amphitheatre-like space will be used by all students from Elmwood’s youngest girls to our senior students.
For more information on how your annual gift can make an impact, please call Andrea Thomson, Director of Development and Alumni Relations at 613-749-6761 ext. 260 or contact her at athomson@elmwood.ca.
Photo highlights from the Art Studio Opening:
Note: All photos in this post were taken pre-covid.