About Sharing Experiences:
Denis Longchamps, PHD
In February 2020, we launched a new outreach program, ‘Sharing Experiences’, to connect with our communities. On invitation, groups communicate a lived experience through a free workshop in clay. The lived experience is based on themes discussed with the leaders and the participants of each community group. The work created is then presented to the community at large with an exhibition and a publication. This time, we invited ‘Sharing Our Voices’.
We thank John and Rebecca Short for their support of the ‘Sharing Experiences’ program. We do hope that this program will not only allow us to strengthen the existing bonds between our gallery and community partners we already have, but also new ones and allow for new friendships to be forged between the participants.
Executive Director and Chief Curator,
Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery
About Sharing Our Voices:
Kayla Haas
‘Sharing Our Voices’ is a space where older adults living with dementia and youth can come together to build relationships through storytelling and art. Run in partnership by Alzheimer Society Waterloo Wellington, YMCA of Three Rivers, and Waterloo Public Library; ‘Sharing Our Voices’ is supported by the Supporting Inclusion through Intergenerational Partnerships (SIIP) project at the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging (RIA).
Through our partnership with the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery, we had a new venue to explore intergenerational programming. Our group members approached the workshops with varying levels of skill and confidence working with clay, but everyone left with renewed confidence in their creative abilities.
Working with clay gave us an opportunity to learn new skills and work collaboratively. Although we each designed our own piece, each clay creation fit into our “Picnic” theme. As we shaped and painted our art together, we shared stories about picnics, details about our pieces, and problem-solved when we came up against challenges.
We are so grateful to the Gallery for giving us access to a medium that would otherwise be inaccessible to our group. We can’t wait for these pieces to be displayed so other community members can enjoy our art pieces & join our picnic!
Intergenerational Community Programs Coordinator,
Alzheimer Society Waterloo Wellington
Catalogue:
See the artwork being made:
This video about the Alzheimer Society of Waterloo Wellington ‘Sharing Our Voices’ group showcases the group painting clay artworks for their ‘Sharing Experiences’ project:
Progress photos
Finished artwork on dislay:
The finished pieces and statements from each participant were displayed at the gallery during the month of October 2022.
Invitation to take part:
Do you know a community group or organization that would like to take part? Please view invitation below and contact Camryn at camryn@theclayandglass.ca for more information. Thank you!
