Nancy Turniawan Featured in The Casket

Nancy Turniawan is the centre of the arts circle when it comes to organizing events for children at the Antigonish Education Centre (AEC). She has taught art for twenty-five years, ten of which have been at the AEC. With the enthusiastic help of principal Mr. Milford Austin, she has created a vibrant school and outreach art program.
With the experience of years of community arts involvement behind her, Turniawan became aware of the need for a more profound relationship between professional artists and the children and parents interested in art and creativity.
In 2008, Turniawan asked artist Anne Camozzi to pilot a project of working with groups of six children in a studio-like setting at the AEC. Fifty children participated. Anne introduced the technique of creating continuous line drawings on silk. Then the children crafted their images using oil pastels and water -color paints on matt board. The end result was an exhibition of the children’s pieces, created during the workshop, presented along the halls of AEC. Parents and friends were treated to an event complete with refreshments.
In April 2009, Turniawan and a colleague Cindy McPherson organized an event at the AEC, “Celebrating the Arts in the Community”. Thirty-eight artists set up displays of their pieces and were available for discussion about their work. Several students brought a unique selection of paintings, collages and clay works. The cafeteria was a sight to behold! The opportunity to connect parents and children with artists was clear and under Turniawan’s leadership a parent and artist group was formed: Artists and Families Fostering Art (AFFA). A form was developed and sent home with each child to gather information needed to make informed decisions about where, when and how the workshops would be delivered. The concept at the heart of the program was to enhance a child’s art experience away from school and have small groups of parents and children visit and create in an artist’s studio. “I really enjoyed when I got to meet other kids and artists and learned how to do things I didn’t think I could do”, states ten-year-old workshop participant Valerie Leighton.
In November 2009, AFFA began to organize workshops. Ceramic artist Fenn Martin offered a workshop in clay sculptures at his studio in the Ohio Valley. Rhiannon Smith, a Nova Scotia College of Art and Design graduate, taught a workshop on mask making held at the Lion’s Club, and Turniawan (a photographer and clay artist at heart) taught a workshop in her home on all the different ways to make clay bowls.
Help for funding previous workshops came through a Visual Arts Nova Scotia (VANS), “PAINTS” program. Hopefully a new partnership with GAPACC will ensure the workshops will continue.
Turniawan is enjoying her creative young students and her classroom is filled with artwork. It is easy to imagine her being inspired here and wanting to design a program that extends the art experience beyond the classroom. She is eager to hear from parents and artists who are interested in being part of this learning community.
“Partnerships that build a community are the key to the holistic success of any project” Stated Turniawan. “These workshops have been met with enthusiasm and joy”
Thank you Nancy Turniawan for turning your own enthusiasm and joy outward.

If you go to the Guysborough Antigonish Pictou Arts and Culture Council’s web site www.gapacc.ns.ca, you can find Artists and Families Fostering Art (AFFA) information about workshops that involve professional artists, parents and children.Nancy Turniawan is the centre of the arts circle when it comes to organizing events for children at the Antigonish Education Centre (AEC). She has taught art for twenty-five years, ten of which have been at the AEC. With the enthusiastic help of principal Mr. Milford Austin, she has created a vibrant school and outreach art program.

With the experience of years of community arts involvement behind her, Turniawan became aware of the need for a more profound relationship between professional artists and the children and parents interested in art and creativity.

In 2008, Turniawan asked artist Anne Camozzi to pilot a project of working with groups of six children in a studio-like setting at the AEC. Fifty children participated. Anne introduced the technique of creating continuous line drawings on silk. Then the children crafted their images using oil pastels and water -color paints on matt board. The end result was an exhibition of the children’s pieces, created during the workshop, presented along the halls of AEC. Parents and friends were treated to an event complete with refreshments.

In April 2009, Turniawan and a colleague Cindy McPherson organized an event at the AEC, “Celebrating the Arts in the Community”. Thirty-eight artists set up displays of their pieces and were available for discussion about their work. Several students brought a unique selection of paintings, collages and clay works. The cafeteria was a sight to behold! The opportunity to connect parents and children with artists was clear and under Turniawan’s leadership a parent and artist group was formed: Artists and Families Fostering Art (AFFA). A form was developed and sent home with each child to gather information needed to make informed decisions about where, when and how the workshops would be delivered. The concept at the heart of the program was to enhance a child’s art experience away from school and have small groups of parents and children visit and create in an artist’s studio. “I really enjoyed when I got to meet other kids and artists and learned how to do things I didn’t think I could do”, states ten-year-old workshop participant Valerie Leighton.

In November 2009, AFFA began to organize workshops. Ceramic artist Fenn Martin offered a workshop in clay sculptures at his studio in the Ohio Valley. Rhiannon Smith, a Nova Scotia College of Art and Design graduate, taught a workshop on mask making held at the Lion’s Club, and Turniawan (a photographer and clay artist at heart) taught a workshop in her home on all the different ways to make clay bowls.

Help for funding previous workshops came through a Visual Arts Nova Scotia (VANS), “PAINTS” program. Hopefully a new partnership with GAPACC will ensure the workshops will continue.

Turniawan is enjoying her creative young students and her classroom is filled with artwork. It is easy to imagine her being inspired here and wanting to design a program that extends the art experience beyond the classroom. She is eager to hear from parents and artists who are interested in being part of this learning community.

“Partnerships that build a community are the key to the holistic success of any project” Stated Turniawan. “These workshops have been met with enthusiasm and joy”

Thank you Nancy Turniawan for turning your own enthusiasm and joy outward.

If you go to the Guysborough Antigonish Pictou Arts and Culture Council’s web site www.gapacc.ns.ca, you can find Artists and Families Fostering Art (AFFA) information about workshops that involve professional artists, parents and children.

Nancy Turniawan is the centre of the arts circle when it comes to organizing events for children at the Antigonish Education Centre (AEC). She has taught art for twenty-five years, ten of which have been at the AEC. With the enthusiastic help of principal Mr. Milford Austin, she has created a vibrant school and outreach art program.

With the experience of years of community arts involvement behind her, Turniawan became aware of the need for a more profound relationship between professional artists and the children and parents interested in art and creativity.

In 2008, Turniawan asked artist Anne Camozzi to pilot a project of working with groups of six children in a studio-like setting at the AEC. Fifty children participated. Anne introduced the technique of creating continuous line drawings on silk. Then the children crafted their images using oil pastels and water -color paints on matt board. The end result was an exhibition of the children’s pieces, created during the workshop, presented along the halls of AEC. Parents and friends were treated to an event complete with refreshments.

In April 2009, Turniawan and a colleague Cindy McPherson organized an event at the AEC, “Celebrating the Arts in the Community”. Thirty-eight artists set up displays of their pieces and were available for discussion about their work. Several students brought a unique selection of paintings, collages and clay works. The cafeteria was a sight to behold! The opportunity to connect parents and children with artists was clear and under Turniawan’s leadership a parent and artist group was formed: Artists and Families Fostering Art (AFFA). A form was developed and sent home with each child to gather information needed to make informed decisions about where, when and how the workshops would be delivered. The concept at the heart of the program was to enhance a child’s art experience away from school and have small groups of parents and children visit and create in an artist’s studio. “I really enjoyed when I got to meet other kids and artists and learned how to do things I didn’t think I could do”, states ten-year-old workshop participant Valerie Leighton.

In November 2009, AFFA began to organize workshops. Ceramic artist Fenn Martin offered a workshop in clay sculptures at his studio in the Ohio Valley. Rhiannon Smith, a Nova Scotia College of Art and Design graduate, taught a workshop on mask making held at the Lion’s Club, and Turniawan (a photographer and clay artist at heart) taught a workshop in her home on all the different ways to make clay bowls.

Help for funding previous workshops came through a Visual Arts Nova Scotia (VANS), “PAINTS” program. Hopefully a new partnership with GAPACC will ensure the workshops will continue.

Turniawan is enjoying her creative young students and her classroom is filled with artwork. It is easy to imagine her being inspired here and wanting to design a program that extends the art experience beyond the classroom. She is eager to hear from parents and artists who are interested in being part of this learning community.

“Partnerships that build a community are the key to the holistic success of any project” Stated Turniawan. “These workshops have been met with enthusiasm and joy”

Thank you Nancy Turniawan for turning your own enthusiasm and joy outward.

If you go to the Guysborough Antigonish Pictou Arts and Culture Council’s web site www.gapacc.ns.ca, you can find Artists and Families Fostering Art (AFFA) information about workshops that involve professional artists, parents and children.