2007 INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION SHEET

Each November since 2001, thirty to thirty-six high-school students from the Yukon have come to Dawson annually to take part in four-day intensive workshops with professional artists during KIAC's Youth Art Enrichment Program. Students with an expressed commitment to art have the option of choosing one of three disciplines in which to study: (course options vary from year to year). Students receive instruction, hone their skills through daily exercises and express their creative ideas through their chosen art form. Following the program, the students' artwork travels to several Yukon Communities for exhibition.

Highlights of Youth Art Enrichment:

- KIAC provides artistically inclined students with an opportunity to focus on a creative discipline of their choice for an intense and sustained period of time. Students broaden their understanding of their chosen medium while advancing creatively and artistically.

- Youth Art Enrichment Program provides students the opportunity to work with a professional artist and to discuss career and educational choices in art.

- KIAC offers the Youth Art Enrichment participants activities to occupy their evenings in a fun, safe, positive way. We offer students a chance to rest up after a busy day of instruction and to socialize with their peers in order to foster cross-community friendships in a casual, recreational atmosphere.

- The Youth Art Enrichment Program showcases the work of young artists in venues where their work can be viewed and appreciated by the public, and provides students an opportunity to gain confidence in their abilities as a result of their art being taken seriously. Students select one finished piece for a travelling exhibition. The exhibition has been shown at the Odd Gallery in Dawson, Faro's Del Van Gorder School, Tantalus school in Carmacks, and the Yukon Arts Centre in Whitehorse.

- On the final evening of the program all of the students, instructors, chaperones, administrators and volunteers convene for a celebratory dinner. Afterwards, participants and the public tour each classroom to survey and discuss the work done in each workshop.

- Each year two student works are selected from the exhibition to be purchased for KIAC's Karen DuBois Collection.

Each year instructors, chaperones and students give valuable written feedback on all aspects of the Youth Art Enrichment Program. KIAC uses this valuable feedback to improve the operation and content of the program each year.

We will be accepting up to 12 students in each workshop, so a maximum of 36 students can participate in the program. All equipment and materials will be provided. Some of the workshops offered in past years include:

Answers to some commonly asked questions:

Youth Art Enrichment runs three courses concurrently for 4 days. There are three instructors, and each instructor teaches for 6 hours per day for 4 days. Each student chooses one course to take, and they are in that course for duration of Youth Art Enrichment. Each teacher will have the same group of students for the whole 4 days, so you/they can focus and develop ideas/art work. Following class time, there is a 45 minute lecture on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. In the evenings, there is a structured free time activity, which is not mandatory for instructors to attend. On Saturday, there is a dinner followed by a showing/tour of student’s artwork, which the instructors are encouraged to participate in. Instructors are paid 35.00 per hour. Total hours compensated for include class time, Saturday dinner and classroom tours, prep/planning and clean up.

The schedule looks like this:

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday:
Breakfast: 8-8:45am
Classes 9am-12pm
Lunch 12-12:45pm
Classes 1-4pm
After classes snack 4 - 4:30pm
Lecture 4:30 - 5:15pm

Saturday:
Breakfast: 9-9:45am
Classes 10am-1pm
Lunch 1-1:45pm
Classes 2-5pm

6:30-8pm: Wrap-up dinner for instructors, students, volunteers
8-10 pm: Walking tour of various classrooms to view artwork made over past 4 days

Sunday:
Breakfast: 9-9:45 am
Directly after breakfast, bus leaves for Whitehorse & communities to take students home. Any remaining cleanup continued by instructors & KIAC staff.

A note re: evenings: Each evening students will have recreational activities planned for them. Instructors are not required to participate/attend these evenings, though they are welcome to. There is one evening where instructor attendance is particularly encouraged, that is the Saturday wrap-up dinner and walking tour of art classrooms. (Each class takes place in a different venue around town - last year they were here at KIAC, the KIAC School of Visual Arts, & Danoja Zho Cultural Centre.)

Submit a Proposal!

We ask that interested artists submit a resume and proposal outlining their intended four-day course to: dawsonarts@yknet.ca, or KIAC, Bag 8000, Dawson, YT, Y0B 1G0.
Attn: Tara Rudnickas.

The deadline for instructor proposals has not been posted yet for 2008.

Student selection will determine which courses are offered in the 2007 program. Selected courses will be announced in late October.

Youth Art Enrichment History

The idea of an enrichment program for young artists was originally envisioned at a meeting between KIAC representatives and Sheila Rose with Wayne Jones from the Department of Education. The discussion was about KIAC developing an enrichment activity for Yukon students who have exceptional artistic ability and interest Ð a concept comparable to soccer camp or hockey school to enhance athletic skills.

KIAC subsequently applied to the Youth Initiative Fund for assistance to hire instructors and to obtain art supplies for the proposed enrichment program. Regional Superintendent, Carol McCauley contributed sound advice as the curriculum began to take shape.

We have developed an intensive program (modeled on the Young Author's conference) that provides a learning experience for both teachers and students. Youth Art Enrichment runs from Wednesday to Sunday requiring only three days absence from school.

The program ran for the first time in November 2001. Teachers, students, chaperones and administrators have been very happy with the program. We conduct a formal evaluation with everyone involved at the end of the program each year and the resulting information is used as a basis for program improvement the following year.

Instructors and support staff

Each artist submits a proposal and a resume that are available to principals or art teachers on request. It is a requirement for the Youth Initiative Fund that each of the instructors complete a security check.

A committee and a volunteer crew, will be responsible for the logistics of accommodations and feeding the students when they are in Dawson.