As an extension of the 2018 SKSS Calendar project, Matt Macintosh (Curator at the Kamloops Museum & Archives) approached the SKSS Art Department with an opportunity to invite students to collaborate with the museum. A small group senior art students were excited to participate as an enrichment opportunity and create an artwork that connected to the current museum exhibition.
Art students worked with Matt to devise a plan that resulted in a repurposed sculpture in the style of Marcel Duchamp’s ‘readymade’ artwork. The desk created from retro skis was painted and constructed by Kysia Tindall and Eric Kim. In addition, Chelsea McKay created a repeating pattern that was used as a backdrop for the sculpture display. Although, the students struggled through the semester turnaround to complete the installation they worked well as a collaborative team! Overall, this experience was a fantastic opportunity for students to engage with community development and specifically to learn more about the Kamloops Museum & Archives.
True to tradition, the local Kamloops Museum acquires, preserves, and makes available the documentary heritage of the City. Perhaps most importantly, art students were surprised and engaged with curator Matt's enthusiasm to include their ideas and art in a public display at our local museum.
Overall, the five grade 12 art students had a lot of fun creating and installing the final artwork on exhibition in conjunction with the KMA exhibition: POWDER KEG - DOWNHILL SKI CULTURE IN KAMLOOPS.
A special thank you to the following students who participated in this unique collaboration: Eric Kim, Chelsea McKay, Kysia Tindall, Erica Von Dok, & Nicole Davis Schaak. And a huge thank you to Matt Macintosh who invited the SKSS students to share about art and curating.
Ski School
For this installation we were inspired by our peers and their love for skiing. An invisible student is stationed at his desk, eager for another day of skiing, however he was denied the luxury. This is how we created the concept of “Ski School”.
Students are notorious for skipping school in the winter months and this particular student is spending another day at school thinking about the slopes, while his friends are all enjoying the fresh powder.
We were striving for an 80’s retro style theme so we incorporated the dated skis alongside with the vibrant pink and green accent colours to capture the old fashioned vibe we all love.
