Like many other arts institutions we have pivoted to focus on online activities during this challenging time. Here are some of the projects we have undertaken during the pandemic
- Jewish Family Services (JFS) of Ottawa partnered with the Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) and artist and educator Rachel Kalpana James to present a virtual visual storytelling workshop for JFS seniors. Participants told their stories through the collection and assemblage of images and mementos into visual journals during the months of the pandemic. The journals can be viewed in display cases at the OAG when our building is open to the public. These works have also been shared on-line through a video produced by the Ottawa Art Gallery. You can watch the video here:
- During the pandemic, OAG has continued to serve schools by offering virtual tours and online workshops related to our exhibitions. We’ve also made more educational resources available on our website by augmenting our existing Contemporary Indigenous Arts in Classroom program with new step-by-step instructional videos related to the lesson plans in the module. These can be seen here: https://oaggao.ca/contemporary-indigenous-arts-classroom
- We also provided middle school teachers with a new curriculum-linked learning module that focuses on the Group of Seven and climate change. An instructional video and a downloadable lesson plan are now available on our website. Through this module, students explore this important group of Canadian artists while also reflecting on climate change and potential solutions to the climate crisis. This module can be seen here: https://oaggao.ca/expanded-landscapes-learning-module