The power of words

New student artwork displayed at the HUB

The big reveal for the Power of Words art project took place on Saturday at the HUB. The project was led by glass artist Kirei Samuel and made possible by a grant from the Arts Council. Starting on January 7, a group of students were asked to select one word that meant something to them from a list provided by Kirei. It actually ended up being a fairly long process, with a lot of discussion about what the words actually meant, and why it was important to the student. It was an exercise in reflection and self-examination, as well as cooperating with others. On the following Saturday, the students cut the words out on enamel and placed them on a piece of glass, which was then added to a larger panel. The words were also spelled out in Braille, using small coloured glass nuggets. Once all the words were in place, the students decorated the panel with other pieces of cut glass. Kirei then took the whole piece back to her kiln for firing and fusing, a process that took about five days. She then had a wooden frame built to mount the finished piece.

(L-R): Sisters Edie and Leni stand with the glass artwork they helped to create at the HUB.

On Saturday the students returned to the HUB to see the results of their effort, and to provide some feedback on the project. With the students gathered around, Kirei and Susan Quaiff unveiled the finished piece to a round of applause. “Everyone worked on it individually, but when it came together it was absolutely fabulous,” said Susan. The completed artwork was then hung in a window at the HUB where it can easily be viewed from outside. “I am very proud and excited as to how this project turned out. It was a bit tougher than some, but well worth it. I feel the project helped a few kids think differently. The first week was a bit tough, and some interesting things happened, and we talked a bit about depression. I’ve been teaching classes for over 30 years, and this is by far the best project I’ve ever done,” said Kirei.

Eleven-year-old Edie chose the word “believe” and said she had a lot of fun during this project. “I learned a lot of new words, and I made some new friends. The best part was seeing how the glass changed after you put it in a kiln. It looks pretty cool. I feel really proud of the art. It turned out much better than I thought it would,” she said. Each student also made a small fused glass piece that they could keep.