The Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery’s (MJMAG) summer art programs give children, teens, adults, and seniors a friendly, expert introduction to their very own art practice, and the gallery has recently found a focus teaching newcomers to Canada.
“We do stay adaptable in terms of adjusting our program in response to enrollment,” explained Christy Schweiger, education co-ordinator at the MJMAG. “We have had some problems with enrollment being down in some areas this summer, but we have been working with the Moose Jaw Multicultural Council to increase our programming for refugees and newcomers.”
The Moose Jaw Multicultural Council (MJMC) offices are in St. Andrew’s United Church, right across the street from the MJMAG’s Crescent Park location. Schweiger said that makes it easy for clients of the MJMC to walk over to the Moose Jaw Public Library and MJMAG.
“It works really well, that they’re across the street from us … and where we had low enrollment, we offered a program to their daycare centre, and we’ve been able to accommodate all 20 of their summer program students.”
Schweiger said the diversity of cultural backgrounds of the students has been a pleasure, and staff and students have learned from each other. Some recently arrived Afghani children have been a focus for several weeks in July.
In addition, Alina Zimohliad, an artist from Ukraine, has been assisting with programs for Ukrainian newcomers. She is learning to teach art, and making communication easier on everyone.
Art programs at the MJMAG include many mediums, such as clay, collaging with recycled materials, beading, printmaking, drawing, sculpting, and, of course, lots of painting.
Guest artists from the community also occasionally offer classes, often based on current exhibitions in the MJMAG’s Norma Lang Art Gallery, such as basketmaking with Beth Crabb, or puppets with Sylvia Ziemann.
Senior-specific programming at the MJMAG is offered in partnership with Saskatchewan Seniors’ Centre Without Walls (SCWW). SCWW is an over-the-phone social art program, with projects and materials designed by Schweiger, and phone conferencing and organizing by SCWW.
“This is our third year doing the over-the-phone program with Seniors’ Centre Without Walls,” Schweiger said. “I, the art gallery, and SCWW provide art kits with written instructions and pictures, and they go out to up to 20 people who register in advance.
“Funding opportunities are drying up for that program, unfortunately, so the art gallery is taking more of a role in funding it. It’s a Sask-wide program, we have participants in Saskatoon and Prince Albert, for example. And it’s like $20 to ship art kits that far.
“We’ve also expanded into working with Brain Health. We have a dementia educator that I work with, and we use images from our collection here to engage with pictures and reminisce and tell stories from our lives.”
Current program offerings can be viewed at www.mjmag.ca/summer-art-programs. The MJMAG’s number is 306-692-4471, and Schweiger can help answer any program questions at [email protected]. Lower-income families can contact Schweiger to inquire about program sponsorships, and she often works with schools and groups to program special activities or additional, more focused art classes.
A space-themed art week is coming up from July 31 to August 4 for ages 3 to 5. A special Ukrainian-language sister program will run at the same time with Zimohliad facilitating. Further summer themes include storytelling using art, illustrating the natural world (with a bit of magical fantasy thrown in), and ‘life on the pond.’
More children-, adult-, and senior-focused classes return in the fall, with registration starting August 18. They will include Indigenous beading with Jazenta Saultier, and an intermediate watercolor class with Bhupinder Singh.
The MJMAG Norma Lang Art Gallery exhibition now is tRACEs: Lines, Lives, Loves by Jeannie Mah and Heidi McKenzie, running May 26 to September 3.
