Avery, a Grade 5 student at JH Moore, shares how she learned to play rugby and why it’s her favourite sport. This story was produced in a digital storytelling workshop that I facilitated with 17 grade 5 students in Lashburn, SK.
Preparing to make pinch pots!
Crowd gathering around the demo!
I spent July 1st with LMLCC (Last Mountain Lake Cultural Centre) at Regina Beach, for the Canada Day Celebrations. I helped them prepare for their upcoming “Pit Firing,” which will take place on July 12. In doing so, I invited people to come and make a pinch pot, which will then be fired in the pit firing. I also encouraged them to come participate in the LMLCC event and claim their pot.
The pit firing will begin around noon with the digging of ‘the hole’ at Regina Beach. Jay Kimball, LMLCC Artist in Residence, will facilitate this process. As he describes it, after the pit has been dug, he lays a bed of firewood in the pit, and covers that bed with the clay pots that have been made and bisqued in previous weeks. Other ‘elements’ are added (like iron, chrome, and copper) which create colour on the pottery, he says. Another layer of wood is added and then the fire is lit.
It takes about four hours for the fire to burn out. At that point, the clay pots are pulled from the ashes and laid in the sand to cool. Once that’s done people are then encouraged to find their piece and enjoy their creation.
Esterhazy resident, Ralph May, proudly shows off one of Saskatchewan’s treasures which has received a National heritage designation – The Esterhazy flour mill. In the second part of this podcast, I’m joined by two other local residents, Jim and Ray, who share stories of growing up on a farm during some of the most difficult years of the depression, and the joy to be found in living the simple life.
Florie Gray is Esterhazy’s second oldest citizen as of 2014 and she joins me in her first podcast recording ever. Florie takes me on trip down memory lane, discusses how the world has changed since she was young, sings her favourite song for me, and experiences her first “selfie”!
It was the second last day of school, so I was anticipating the work ethic might be weak. But, boy! was I ever surprised!
A small group of senior students of JH Moore Elementary worked tirelessly to get the planters in place before their summer break. A couple of the boys dug dirt for four hours straight!
In brief, we moved the tires into place, starting with the first layer, filled them with dirt, put the second and third layer on, lined them with tarp and then filled them with dirt.
How wonderful it was that when we finished an educational assistant and student came out of the school right away and planted rose bushes into three of the planters. Then the principal informed me that a grandmother from the community was coming the next day to plant flowers.
In May, I led several workshops on scriptwriting at Melville Comprehensive School with Communications Media and Photography students. They were already familiar with iMovie, so I worked with them on their storytelling skills. Hayley wanted to tell a story about her dad, who taught her how to play hockey. As a girl in a male-dominated sport, Hayley wanted to share the story of how her dad taught her to stand up for herself and how to become a better player. She produced this beautiful story.
Jim Harding, the mayor of Fort San, shares his early artistic inspirations, his passion for the environment, and the story behind the new Qu’appelle Valley Centre for the Arts which finds a home in the 1911 Old Central School in Fort Qu’appelle.
Grade 12 student Bronwyn Lloyd tells the story of a cross-cultural experience between her and her grandmother from Switzerland. This story was made in one of my digital storytelling workshops in Lumsden, SK.
If you haven’t been to the WindScape Kite Festival in Swift Current, you really must go!
I had an incredible time, and I didn’t even take in any of the awesome nighttime concerts.
Although my days were filled with volunteering (face painting and kite making), I did get some time to peruse the grounds and was completely taken aback by all the activities: a Kinetic Sculptural Garden, whimsical characters on stilts, a hay bale maze, hourly shows of humour and dance, juggling and balancing acts, bubble stations … and more (so much more!).
For me, the highlight was arriving on site. There was something so thrilling about following the signs through the city, anticipation mounting, to finally come around a corner and see such enormous kites flying high in the air.
My days with the kids and volunteers were equally satisfying (although also very exhausting). I have done face painting before, but never to that extent. What a lesson in culture that was. Although there were pages of photos the kids could choose from, inevitably there were those who wanted to choose something different. And some of those choices required a bit of education (on my part, not theirs)! I learned much about the latest trends and fashions.
And in my last volunteer shift at the kite-making station, I learned about the heart of this festival… and I guess, one could say, the heart of Saskatchewan culture in general. I have heard that we are the volunteer capital of North America. But until this festival, my understanding of this claim was purely intellectual, not visceral.
Many interactions brought about this understanding.
One was learning that a guy named David single-handedly prepped all the kite materials for this festival. And he did it via volunteering. He cut every template, prepared every board of tape, and cut (and shaped) every piece of doweling. After my one shift, I am estimating that’s approximately 1500-2000 templates cut from garbage bags, and therefore 3000-4000 sticks of doweling. I’m not going to do the math on how many pieces of tape this man cut.
Then in my last hour of volunteering, there was the lady (twice my age) who told me that this was her sixth year volunteering. My feet were killing me and here she was smiling away telling me how she did it because she loved seeing the kids so happy. “Not one bad kid in six years. Not one!” she said.
And these are just two examples. This whole incredible cultural event is founded on volunteers. I heart culture, indeed!
This weeks SaskScapes podcast was recorded in Fort Qu’appelle’s Old Central School. This grand piece of architecture was slated for demolition in 2011. You’ll hear my guest Doreen Evans share the story of when she cornered Jim Harding, the mayor of Fort San, in a local coffee shop and said “Jim, you’ve got to help save the school”. You’ll also hear my other guest, Jack Lowe share stories of being a student in the school.
The great news is that the school was saved, and is now home to the Fort Qu’appelle Centre for the Arts. I had a chance to tour the building and the work they are doing is remarkable. The dedicated committee is making every attempt to maintain the original interior fixtures where possible.
There are big plans for this centre, which will house dance studios, rehearsal, performance and gallery spaces as well as visual arts workshops. There is a call for emerging and established artists and craftspeople to come and show their work on either a short-term or long-term basis.
The team is so committed to bringing this vision to life, that a few dedicated souls are donating their time and skills to do some of the renovations themselves.
This is a true community effort, all in the name of creative arts.
In the next SaskScapes podcast you’ll have an opportunity to hear my conversation with mayor Jim Harding who shares with me how this dream began, and the plans for the future. I’m always so excited when I learn that Saskatchewan has a new arts centre for all to enjoy.