GUEST SPEAKER: COLLEEN GRAY – ART FOR AID
Introduced by Dave Andrews, Colleen Gray is the program manager or Art For Aid, a Project that works to support Canadian First Nations, Inuit and Metis art and cultural education programs through access to quality program supplies, awareness and fundraising efforts.
Art for Aid works to connect Indigenous youth to art and knowledge of their culture. Colleen seeks to accomplish this by ensuring that quality art and program supplies are available to Indigenous youth and schools in remote areas.
Her Mother’s people are Mi’kmaq/Acadian. Her Father’s people are Irish. She was born and grew up in Petawawa and now lives in Smiths Falls. She paints from my personal experiences and observations obtained from living according to the teachings and lifestyle that keeps her focused and grateful.Much of her inspiration comes from a good life connected to the land and her brothers and sisters, and from numerous teachers, wisdom keepers, and Elders.Her art focuses on teaching people about Indigenous culture through the connected art stories.
Her volunteer work through The Art For Aid Project has become a priority for her as an artist hoping to make a difference in Canada's remote Indigenous schools. She wants to create a way to ensure quality art supplies and skills labs are reaching remote community schools to nurture budding artists. For nearly 10 years sha has donated her time and efforts to building Art for Aid. In 2021, she began to sell her original artwork to supplement her household income so she could continue to work as a volunteer. Art isn’t just something she does; being an artist is who she is in the world.
Just a few of her accomplishments: Paul Harris Award from the Rotary Club of Stittsville in June 2023; Winner of the Faces Ottawa Best Painter Award - February 2022; Heritage House Museum Exhibition - August 2021; In Partnership with The Bateman Foundation - January 2021 (Art for Aid); The Governor General’s Sovereign Medal for Volunteers - June 2019.
Their Mission Statement: The Art For Aid Project works to support Canadian First Nations, Inuit and Metis art and cultural education programs through access to quality program supplies, awareness and fundraising efforts. We work to connect Indigenous youth to art and knowledge of their culture. We seek to accomplish this by ensuring that quality art and program supplies are available to Indigenous youth and schools in remote areas.
The Project
Art for Aid is a program of I Love First Peoples, a Canadian registered charity.
Art For Aid supports First Nations, Inuit and Metis art and cultural education programs through access to quality art supplies and program supplies. We work to support our program through awareness and fundraising efforts.
Art and program supplies: We collect new and gently used art supplies, sort them, then ship them to remote schools on our distribution list. The operations and shipping budget is replenished through monetary donations made through I Love First Peoples and through the sale of Colleen Gray's beautiful art products in our Shopify Fundraising Store at www.artforaidshop.ca. Monetary donations in support of this project can be made through I Love First Peoples. Donations to Art for Aid made through www.ilfp.ca are issued a charitable tax receipt each February.
(www.ilfp.ca - select Art for Aid in the programs menu)
Art exploration in schools and communities has always been vulnerable to cutbacks. Indigenous schools are not exempt from this. Art invites creative energy and full expression. It can provide an outlet for boredom and isolation and it can bring comfort and beauty to a community, but it all begins with having the supplies needed. Land based learning programs that connect youth to their traditional culture are often underserved and have insufficient supplies. We are working to ensure that these programs have what they need to succeed.
Monetary donations can be made by selecting "Art for Aid" under the program tab of at www.ilovefirstpeoples.ca or www.ilfp.ca
If you are donating gently used art supplies, please ensure they are in good working order. Also take note of what we are not accepting at this time. List below.
Art for Aid is now accepting art item donations only. Note: most of the schools we ship to are Kindergarten to Grade 8
canvases (under 16x20")
good paint brushes of all types
wood burning kits
colouring books for children (not the more complex adult colouring books)
pencil crayons
markers
gel pens
stickers
kids craft items
play dough or modelling clay
drawing tools
erasers
glue sticks
craft glue guns and glue sticks
white wood glue
scissors
single hole punches
pencil sharpeners
finger paint and finger paint paper
beading materials
beading tools
beads of all types
beading cases
jewellery thread of all sorts
clasps and jewellery making accessories
fabric paints and new child sized t-shirts to create a shirt painting project
good quality tanned deer hide or moose hide in ready-to-use condition
scissors
any store bought ready-to-craft kits
small loom kits
bracelet making kits
ribbon
feathers
pipe cleaners
small bells
stick-on googly eyes
paper airplanes
What we don't take:
flammable items
liquid paint mediums such as resins and oils, oil based paints
books, paper (we have lots)
glitter and glitter glue (due to its large negative global impact on our waters)
Land-based learning support is a new venture for Art for Aid as of January 2022. We will serve at least one remote school annually to supply them with their wish-list of items for existing outdoor winter land-based learning programs. Brand new program supplies are shipped in large sturdy tote bins to keep them well protected and ready to use for a number of years. You can support this program by donating to Art for Aid through www.ilfp.ca.
Indigenous Language Posters: "Wash your hands" FREE DOWNLOADS: Posters are free to download and print for your community or school. PRINTING: The PDF files of single posters can be easily and clearly printed in large sizes up to and including 16x20". The double multi-language English, French, and bilingual posters are larger and can be clearly printed at 24x36".
The Map to My School is a program that sees culturally relevant and professionally produced cartography being purchased by Art for Aid and shipped to remote schools with our art supplies.
The maps are produced by the University of Maine's Canadian/American Centre, and pinpoints the traditional names of locations in Canada. This, coupled with the definition of what those names mean can help young people to connect to their language. Often these places are locations that their relatives and neighbours know by the traditional name. Often these are places their ancestors would have travelled to for hunting, trade, or ceremonies.
We believe every school in Canada should have a map like this in the classroom.
Recent media coverage:
https://ottawacitizen.com/sponsored/social-scene/social-scene-community-builders-art-for-aid-project
President Linda closed the meeting at 8:00 pm.
MORE INFORMATION ON THESE AND OTHER ROTARY EVENTS
AUG 18, 19 and 20 - Rotary Club of Oshawa Ribfest - volunteers required; Karen Dick is the contact person. We need to volunteer at this event!! Email was sent to all members asking for your help.
AUG 22 - Regular Weekly Meeting – 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM .
NO MEETING AT OSHAWA GOLF CLUB
SPOUSES NIGHT – DINNER WITH SPOUSES AT BELLA NOTTE
3570 Brock St N, Whitby, ON L1N 3J4
AUG 26 & 27 – Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood promo tent at Autofest, at Lakeview Park 1638 Simcoe St S #1450, Oshawa, ON L1H 8J7, from 9 am to 5 pm.
AUG 29 - Regular Weekly Meeting – 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM .
- Speaker: Jennifer French, MPP Oshawa –
Her Annual Address for our Rotary Club
IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT, MAKE UP: Go online at www.rotary.org go to the club locator and find a club or clubs near your destination. Or you can add the free App Rotary Club Locator to your phone for instant look up of any club in the world. Please mail or fax your make-ups to Secretary Sue MacKinnon, or give your make-up card to the attendance/registration officer at the next club meeting.