Secondary Visual Arts Exhibition opening at Surrey Art Gallery Feb. 6
Karman Gill, Grade 12, L.A. Matheson Secondary
Parents may not be able to see student artwork at school right now, but Surrey Schools and the Surrey Art Gallery (SAG) are working together to make a collection of pieces available for public viewing - in person and online.
Jasmine Forrester, Grade 12
L.A. Matheson Secondary
The district is hosting its long-running Secondary Visual Arts Exhibition at the SAG from Feb. 6 to Apr. 24, showcasing 50 pieces from secondary students across Surrey and White Rock. The gallery has hosted the annual exhibition for students in district art education programs since 1983.
While in-person viewing is limited to prearranged tours, the district and SAG are partnering with a videographer to create a professional video of the art pieces, with some commentary by the gallery's assistant curator.
"Even in a time of tighter restrictions, we have the ability to make this viewable and shareable with anyone," said Arts Education Helping Teacher Tricia Liversidge, noting the virtual component of the exhibition is currently being produced and will be available on the SAG website.
"If you think about this school year, we can't have anyone in the schools, there isn't that built-in ability to exhibit their work in school. So to have the art pieces at the gallery is fantastic, especially being able to have a video available which makes the viewing of those pieces accessible essentially worldwide."
Manraj Ghuman, Grade 11
L.A. Matheson Secondary
Students had the opportunity to share two-dimensional art pieces no larger than 18" x 24" in the exhibition. While they were unable to showcase sculptures, Liversidge said the collection highlights the creativity of students.
"I was absolutely blown away by the variety last year - photography, painting, sketch, there's just so much available," she said. "You can absolutely see the passion and the talent just by looking at this vast array of pieces in this exhibition. It's not just watercolours or paint to canvas, there are so many creative ideas."
The video will be posted soon on the Surrey Art Gallery website. Gallery visits must be pre-booked at select times on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. To register, email artgallery@surrey.ca or phone 604-501-5566 and press 1.
