HEXSA’AM: TO BE HERE ALWAYS

HEXSA’AM: TO BE HERE ALWAYS // IN THE STUDIO

This season’s workshop explores the themes of storytelling, oral history, performance and climate change prevalent in the exhibition and engages students of all ages in the production of short collaborative videos.

Each class will be divided into smaller groups, with a maximum of 15 students in each.

Within their groups, students will be guided through the creation of a collaborative story about salmon, developing the narrative, characters and set design. Each student will create a puppet of their chosen character using cardboard and oil pastels and they will work together to create a chalk mural “set” on our walls. After some time for rehearsal, each group will perform their story for the class while being filmed by our art instructor.

Each class will bring home videos of their performances and each student’s puppet.

ARTS CURRICULAR COMPETENCIES AND CONTENT

// drama: character, time, place, plot, tension // personal and collective responsibility associated with creating, experiencing, or sharing in a safe learning environment // processes, materials, movements, technologies, tools and techniques to support arts activities

TIMELINE // 75 MINUTES TOTAL

5 minutes // introduction
15 minutes // collaborative story creation
25 minutes // fish puppets
15 minutes // background mural
5 minutes // dress rehearsal
5 minutes // performance & film
5 minutes // tidy & leave

BEFORE YOU LEAVE // Please be sure to email or send via WeTransfer/Dropbox/service of your choice the videos to Emily or Finn so that we can send them on to the teachers right away. 

MATERIALS

chalk
cardboard
wooden dowels
hot glue
oil pastels
scissors
paper
pencils
iPad – KAG staff only

ROOM SET-UP & PREP

Using the timeline above, please write down an exact layout of the workshop on one of the moveable door/walls that cover the desk or sink area. This will allow those students who feel anxious about time to relax, and help you stay on schedule.

eg. for a booking that runs 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

WELCOME PARKCREST ELEMENTARY!

Today’s schedule:

10:00 – 10:05 // welcome, name tags, getting settled
10:05 – 10:45 // interactive tour in the Gallery
10:45 – 10:50 // introduction to studio workshop
10:50 – 11:05 // collaborative story creation  
11:05 – 11:30 // making our fish puppets
11:30 – 11:45 // making our background murals
11:45 – 11:50 // dress rehearsal
11:50 – 11:55 // performance of your stories + we’ll take a video!
11:55 – 12:00 // tidy up and go back to school

Make sure you have access to the iPad (or your phone if it takes decent video) and that the device has sufficient battery power to film the performances.

Set up the room so that two groups of 15 (or whatever number works for your class – you want two evenly-sized groups) can work on their puppets and chalk wall murals.

Lay out the necessary materials on a long table in the middle where both groups can access them. See above list.

DIVIDING YOUR GROUPS

Please ask the teacher to do this. They will know who needs to be put together/kept apart to make things move along. Let them know when they arrive that you will be asking them the divide the class into two smaller groups and that this will happen AFTER the tour.

INTRODUCTION

Together with their groups, students will make a one-minute video telling the story of fish – what kind of fish? what are they doing? where are they doing it? – all of this is up to them.

They will begin with a 15-minute brainstorming session in their groups where they work together to determine the narrative, the characters, and the set design. We’re working collaboratively here, so that means that we work together to create something that we are all proud of. 

Next, students will each make their own fish puppet using cardboard, oil pastels and wooden dowels. They can make their fish as accurate to life or their imagination as they choose. Specific characters will have been decided upon in the brainstorming session.

Finally, students work together to use chalk to create their set on our walls.

When all pieces are complete, students will have 5 minutes to rehearse and then we perform!

ROOM CLEAN UP

Please return all materials to their homes; empty recycling in larger bin; sweep floor; wipe down tables; wash walls thoroughly.

The idea is that the room is totally clean and ready for anything!

If you need extra time to make this happen, please do so and record your time on your timesheet.