"Found Sounds Moving" — Syncretic Art Workshop

Art Gallery of Algoma

Presented by Art Gallery of Algoma in conjunction with the exhibition of Lockdown and 15 Minutes of Fame, the workshop — offered to the public twice daily throughout a three-week period — encouraged and empowered participants to develop their own interpretations of the artworks; create their personal responses to them through art, sound and movement; and to use the art exhibition as a catalyst for presentations integrating voice, percussion, sound, movement and visual arts.

Since many of the art works had been created with prison beds from the former Kingston Penitentiary for Women, officers from Correctional Service Canada were invited to interact with participants sharing insights and information regarding the penal system in Canada. 

These workshops were offered to the general community of Sault Ste. Marie; schools groups; and special interest groups, including women in shelters and youth from juvenile detention centres. Participants of all ages sang, danced and explored a full range of artistic expression in their responses to the sculpture installation.

One juvenile delinquent returned to the gallery a week after his visit asking to ‘do’ another installation and include a photograph of himself and his family, which he felt should be placed in the empty picture frame found in the suitcase. Here was a young man who’d never been in an art gallery before in his life, who’d been moved to such a degree that he felt compelled to return and invest himself in the artwork.

Fostering appreciation and understanding for contemporary art: building bridges between art and the public, the workshop encouraged participants to to develop their own interpretations of the artworks and create their personal responses to them through art, sound and movement. The workshop aimed to expand the public's understanding of contemporary visual arts by bringing them into the institutions whose mandate it is to build understanding and by bringing the arts into the education arena.

This workshop was made possible through the generous support of: