George Freeman School showcases whimsical new TREX art display

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Another art exhibition through TREX has been put up for display at the Strathmore Motor Products Sports Centre for patrons of the running track to engage with.

Titled “Pretend Foraging in Sleeved Blankets,” the gallery is by Grace Wirzba, hailing from Lethbridge and consists of 13 drawings, and eight mini quilts. 

Jill McDonald, associate principal for George Freeman School, explained the exhibition is based on a large-scale game of Telestrations which took place at the Galt Museum and Archives between friends and strangers to the artist. 

According to a release, Wirzba had asked participants to create artistic responses to archival objects at the museum, which she in turn translated to new drawings and textiles of her own making. 

“Telestrations is kind of like a game of Pictionary. You are given a word or an image, and then you have to do the opposite. So, if I was given a word, I would have to draw the picture, and then I would pass my pad of paper to the next person, and they would have to draw a picture based on my word,” said McDonald. “Think about it like being a kid and playing a game of Telephone where you whispered in each kid’s ear and it changed as you went down the line – Telestrations is kind of like playing Telephone but with written words and pictures, and the meaning or the story changes as it goes down the line.”

McDonald described as a result of the unique context for which the pieces were created, much of the gallery she found to be very whimsical and silly.

“Art has lots of different purposes,” she said. “Sometimes art is there to tell a story, and sometimes art is there to evoke emotion and sometimes art shares history with us and so some of the different purposes of art is one of the things we hope that students learn and that idea of appreciating all the different forms and styles and ways of doing it.”

As of Oct. 17, students at George Freeman had not yet seen the artworks hung at the walking track, but were shortly thereafter given opportunities to explore the gallery. 

McDonald added one of the things she hopes students will learn is the idea of appreciating all the different forms and styles and ways of doing it.

TREX has approximately 16 travelling art exhibitions at a given time, which rotate throughout the province of Alberta. 

George Freeman is able to showcase two of such exhibitions every school year. The second exhibit will be showcased, come the end of December and throughout January. 

The last day to check out Pretend Foraging in Sleeved Blankets is scheduled for Nov. 5. The display will be taken down the following day.