About the workshops:
Each workshop session was designed with specific intents and outcomes, with two workshops series designed specifically for First Nations Youth. The first session started with the structure of a billboard, it's context, function and audience. Each session built on the last, refining and honing in on issues and topics each group wanted to express for their image. Every session was a combination of both discussion and creative production. Established artists came to these workshops providing experience and outside perspective for the participants.
For the First Nations workshops Archer Pechawis was the main mentor with M. Simon Levin discussing public art and Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun and Paul Wong coming in to do critiques. For the other workshops Margot Leigh Butler discussed Semiotics - Shared Cultural Meanings. This workshop was designed to provide the participants with the means and process in which to examine meaning in signs/objects/images. This workshop helped to further understand and acknowledge the meanings - personal, social and cultural within the types of images the participants would be using in their designs. M. Simon Levin discussed Art in Public Places. He presented a slide show of other billboard projects and discussed the relationships between artist, art work and audience and the context, function, and process of creating an art work for public space and specifically for advertising spaces. Leah Dector provided the participants with alternative image making using photocopier, image transfer and styrofoam ink printing.
Workshops were held at Cariboo Secondary School in partnership with ArtStarts in Schools. Three transit shelter images were produced from these workshops and displayed through the City of Vancouver's Transit Shelter Program.