The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Visitors view paintings displayed at the “How the Arts Impact My Life” art exhibition.

When I took on the position of art representative for the Fine Arts Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association 18 months ago, I had two goals I wanted to achieve during my two-year term. One goal was to create a professional learning community for visual arts educators and the other was to advocate for the fine arts.

Because art exhibitions can have a powerful influence on society, I established a professional learning community of teachers to develop ideas for a provincial art exhibition. We called the event “How the Arts Impact My Life.” We wanted the exhibition to have visual power, so each artwork was painted on the same size of canvas (24 x 24"). We also wanted to give back to Albertans through art and chose the Dreams Take Flight charity as the recipient of proceeds from the sale of artwork.

We invited participants to communicate a personal story about how the fine arts affect their lives, thus, each artist wrote a narrative to complement his or her painting. I was astonished by the ­participants’ insightful responses to the question: “How do the arts impact my life?” One artist stated that art was an anchor of personal identity; others said the arts contributed to their success as mature and creative individuals. Many artists said art provided them with dreams, encouragement and wings on which to fly. Another said that art was her free psychologist; and another stated that art was an oasis of unlimited possibilities. Some participants acknowledged that art helps them notice and appreciate life’s simplicity and beauty, while others said art encourages youth to think and learn about themselves (Watt, T., K. Lewis and D. Kaminski. 2012. How the Arts Impact My Life. Unpublished data.).

On May 24, principals, teachers, professional artists and Alberta public attended the exhibition’s opening. Sixty-two paintings were displayed along with narratives that expressed the importance of the arts in our lives. Paintings’ subject matter ranged from portraits to abstracts to landscapes to fantasies. The artists’ skills were impressive, especially considering that the youngest artists where only 12 years old. Each participant received a book featuring images of the artists’ paintings and accompanying narratives about how art influences their lives.

The benefits of this event surpassed my expectations. Participants’ artworks and their narratives revealed how the arts feed our imagination, help us develop a sense of beauty and provide unique ways for us to gain insights into ourselves and the world.

By the exhibition’s end, 27 paintings had sold, the proceeds of which covered the expenses to send four sick children to ­Disneyland.

Participating in art exhibitions provides people with opportunities for self-expression and ­creativity, both of which have the power to influence who we are as individuals and as a collective.