101 years and counting: How Winnipeg has blazed a trail for budding artists and youth education

In principle, most people would agree a well-rounded education is critical to a child's future success. But in practice, math and science tend to get the bulk of the focus, while the arts are often considered a budgetary frill for cash-strapped school boards.

Fortunately for Canada's budding Emily Carrs and Kent Monkmans, public art institutions can pick up this slack. Case in point: the Winnipeg Art Gallery's Studio program, which has been running children's art courses for a whopping 101 years.

The WAG's current iteration offers fall and winter classes for youth aged 5-14 (both privately and in collaboration with the school board), along with summer art camps geared to stave off child boredom and the parental insanity it induces. Current programs include drawing, painting, mixed media, fashion arts and ceramics, taught by a mix of local artists and educators.

Not limited to dabbling in the studio, the kids can show off the fruits of their labours in an annual exhibition. Now in its 31st year, 2017's edition centres on the theme of Canada 150 and focuses on ceramics and printmaking. Featuring 225 pieces, it explores family, friendship, leisure activities and, of course, Canadian wildlife.

"There's a real honesty to what kids create," says Diane LaFournaise, manager of the WAG's Studio and organizer of the exhibition. "They don't have a premeditated approach to creation. They just do it and enjoy it. When you go to art school, that's kind of taken away from you because you're always being asked to think about what themes you might be proposing or the critical context. Children don't have to do that, and the results it can produce are really refreshing."

The program is part of a larger movement by art galleries towards child and youth involvement. Toronto's AGO and the Vancouver Art Gallery both offer ongoing art courses, while many other galleries have initiated summer programming and school tours.

There's a real honesty to what kids create. They don't have a premeditated approach to creation. They just do it and enjoy it.- Diane LaFournaise, WAG studio manager

Shifting the public's perception of art galleries from uptight institutions to fun, family-friendly spaces serves multiple ends. It makes them increasingly accessible to the public, offering more frequent reasons to stop by. It introduces people to art at a younger age, stimulating budding artists and producing a more art-literate society over time. And it increases institutions' attendance numbers, reaffirming their relevance to funders. While a growing number of institutions are adding these programs, WAG is a true trailblazer in this regard.

This forward-thinking approach is emblematic of Winnipeg's unique arts sector. Sometimes seen as a frigid, working class dot in the prairies, the city has become something of an incubator for world-class artists including Marcel Dzama, Daniel Barrow, Paul Butler and Wanda Koop (a former WAG studio participant herself).

According to LaFournaise, the city's creative output is at least partially the result of their legendarily harsh winters. On one hand, they encourage folks to hunker down and work. On the other, they produce a certain cabin fever that eventually gets people out, as evidenced by the massive turnout for art and live music, even when it's 40 below.

As with rock shows and art openings, WAG's Studio program is a critical point for community connection. Here, creatively-minded kids who don't necessarily have peers or outlets at school can meet like-minded souls and find their voices.

"When I was growing up in a rural community, we didn't have dedicated art teachers and art was considered a frill," LaFournaise says. "Creative children often don't have the resources other kids have, so part of our aim here is to provide that. People can be creative in so many ways. I think it's really important to acknowledge our creative children by giving them a venue to explore and a space to shine."

Through the Eyes of a Child. Until May 28. WAG@ThePark, Community Gallery, 2nd Floor, Assiniboine Park Pavilion, Winnipeg. www.wag.ca