Joanne Charette
Director, Public Affairs
Education and Public Programs —looking back at 2007 and looking forward to
2008
I am very pleased to have this opportunity to speak to you about one of my areas of responsibility − our educational programs.
The goal of our wide range of Education and Public programming is make art accessible to all Canadians as well as to foster life-long learning and the love of art.
I am pleased to report that 2007 has been an exciting year for the Education and Public
Programs at the National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian Museum of
Contemporary Photography. In the financial year 2006 to 2007, 37% of our visitors participated in educational programs which represents 3% increase over the previous year.
Highlights this year and next include a series of popular programs including summer camps and audioguides designed for children; Fun days and Artissimo for families; artist workshops and an annual event for teens; lectures, films, and events for adults; adapted programs for visitors with special needs; tours and workshops for students and teachers; and rich on-line content for all ages and interests.
Inspired by the 2007 summer exhibition Renoir Landscapes , the Gallery once again offered a wide variety of activities for visitors. These included art-looking and art-making activities for visitors, lectures, and a concert. A first for the Gallery was the production of descriptive stops for the visually impaired to complement our adult and children audioguides.
Artissimo – the popular family program – underwent extensive evaluation during the summer of 2007. We proposed a number of exciting new activities to families, and asked them for their feedback. Based on the results of this research, 2008 will see a beautiful new Artissimo kiosk installed in the Great Hall offering many new activities that will encourage children and their families and friends to explore in the galleries.
In 2007, the Teen Council developed workshops and a day-long event on the theme of the environment. This provided a day of music, art-making and social-interaction. In
2008, their theme is Artistic Underground and is already shaping up to be a stimulating day.
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Launched in 2006, Artsparks is a lively evening program for young adults. People make connections between art and their own lives during exhibition tours, demonstrations, artmaking activities, dancing and through informal discussions. In 2008, Artsparks events will be linked to the Joe Fafard exhibition and the Gallery’s collections.
In 2007, the Gallery forged a new partnership with the medical residents at the
University of Ottawa. In half-day workshops, the residents looked closely at art using the
Visual Thinking Strategies, and then applied their findings to patient care.
The Gallery’s award-winning program for people with disabilities, funded by The
McConnell Family Foundation, seeks to make art accessible to all through tours, workshops, and community partnerships. We are pleased to report that this program has set a new museum standard and in 2008, the Gallery will visit Canadian museums to help them develop their own accessibility programs.
The Gallery and CMCP offer a number of tours and studio workshops for students from
Kindergarten to Grade 12, as well as professional development opportunities for teachers. The Annual Teachers Open House, held each fall, attracts a large number of teachers from the National Capital Region who wish to learn more about our programs and services.
Last month, the Gallery relaun ched the Teachers’ Section on CyberMuse − its Art
Education Research site. This now includes searchable lesson plans, video demonstrations of art techniques, and opportunities for teachers to talk to a Gallery expert, or share ideas with colleagues on-line. We are also pleased to say that the
Ga llery’s traveling exhibition Joe Fafard has been greatly enhanced by a beautiful subsite on CyberMuse dedicated to the artist’s life and work. Please watch for more great new content on CyberMuse in 2008, including video interviews, podcasts, an artlooking game for children, and a new Careers section for teens and young adults.
I want to draw attention to the introduction of podcasting, as it is new innovation for us.
This program enables visitors to download specific information on an artist. This way they get to plan their own exhibition that is, they can choose what they want to see in advance. They are also much better informed before they enter the museum. I am proud to say that Gallery was the first museum in the country to implement such a feature.
Launched last month, the Gallery’s newly redesigned corporate website allows users to buy tickets, memberships and gift items on-line, plan an event at the Gallery, and find information on upcoming exhibitions, programs, and events, the activities of the Gallery
Foundation, and much more. You will find it time well spent as you will get so much more out of your next visit to the Gallery.
We look forward to welcoming you to our next event!
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