Creating Possibility Through Art
The Gallery and studios quickly filled with conversation, experimentation, and creative energy as participants spent time not only looking at art, but making it, talking about it, and imagining what it might mean to build a life around it.
For Grade 12 Gordon Bell High School student Tayna Bernardic, it was her second time taking part in the program, which provides hands-on artistic experiences for students while also offering professional development opportunities for teachers.
“Right now, I’m working on a self-portrait [with] disfigured parts of my face and body to describe how disconnected teenagers can feel from who they are,” she says.
Her work is fragmented, exploring questions of identity through abstraction. Tayna grew up surrounded by art and artists. One grandmother sold jewellery in Spain, another sells her paintings through her church, and her uncle is both a visual artist and a musician.
I’ve always had a community of artists around me. They have shown me that [being an artist] can be something real, not just a hobby.
During the workshop, students created collage-based acrylic self-portraits, experimenting with imagery, composition, and storytelling. For Tayna, one piece became “a mishmash of things that were weird and ironic, abstract.” Meaning isn’t always the point. “Sometimes it’s about the visuals more than what it’s supposed to say.”
Returning to WAG-Qaumajuq through youth programs and workshops exposed Tayna to another side of the art world . “It opened my eyes to see what an artist can do with an arts education. Not just making work, but teaching, organizing, and creating opportunities for others.”
This fall, Tayna will begin a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Manitoba. She hopes to pursue a career as an arts educator, helping young people benefit from creative experiences like she did and showing them how art can be a path forward.
For artist and instructor Bria Fernandes, who led the two-day workshop, inspiring that kind of realization is what it’s all about.
When considering a project for the workshop, Bria decided on collage. “It’s accessible,” she explains. “You don’t have to be ‘good’ at drawing or painting to start. And honestly, I didn’t think it would be this popular, but they proved me wrong,” she laughs.
Bria’s goal was to encourage the group to think about how they see themselves and their experiences, and from there to start building a visual language around those ideas. Watching students and teachers embrace the process became one of the most rewarding parts of the workshop. “Some of their ideas – I wouldn’t have thought of them,” she says. “They really got into it. That was nice to see.”
There was also a sense of recognition. “I see myself in those kids,” Bria says. “I didn’t have this kind of opportunity growing up, so it’s really cool to be part of it now.”
Moments of connection formed quickly throughout the two days as students shared work, exchanged ideas, and bonded over artists they admired. What began as a workshop evolved into a creative community. “I’m happy to give my advice and my time to young artists,” Bria says.
The artist, who was featured in WAG-Qaumajuq’s Threads of Kin and Belonging exhibition, will soon begin a Master of Fine Arts at the University of Victoria. Like Tayna, she sees teaching as an important part of her future.
Their paths are different, but connected. Both understand the importance of creating spaces where young people feel seen, supported, and inspired – and the role that artists can play in making those spaces possible.
In a room full of students and teachers at different stages, guided by artists still shaping their own journeys, the workshop focused on collage, self-portraiture, and identity, but perhaps most importantly, it explored possibility, and how there isn’t just one way to be an artist.
Thanks to the generosity of WAG-Qaumajuq supporters like you, young people have opportunities to learn from working artists, develop new skills, and imagine futures they may not have considered before. Together, we are helping ensure that creativity continues to thrive – in our classrooms, our communities, and through the artists of tomorrow.
