Passersby strolling down Beach Avenue in Peachland this summer will be able to take in the Four Seasons of Peachland, a new multimedia sculpture created by Mount Boucherie Secondary School art students.
The idea to get students involved in creating the art came from Victoria Molloy, a director of the Peachland Community Arts Council, whose sculptures had been on display outside the Peachland Art Gallery the previous two years.
Many art galleries have a sculpture out front and Molloy reasoned a piece outside would entice people to check out the artwork inside the Peachland Art Gallery.
鈥淭he idea was always to pass it on for some other creative people to have a chance to make public art,鈥 said Molloy, noting part of the arts council鈥檚 mandate is to increase community involvement.
Molloy approached Jim Elwood, a longtime art teacher at Mount Boucherie Secondary School, about the opportunity for a sculpture created by the school鈥檚 art students.
鈥淚 love having art in the classroom, but I love to show the artwork outside of my classroom and connect to the community,鈥 said Elwood.
Elwood teaches an art careers class that gives students the opportunity to look at different careers that relate to art, from studio artists to architects.
鈥淲hen we had the chance for my students to work as a group to put this together, that is the perfect expression of art careers, and being able to sign your name and have this on your resume, whether it鈥檚 an art-related resume or just any resume, it鈥檚 a great thing,鈥 said Elwood.
Molloy鈥檚 only stipulation was the work had to be a student piece, with Elwood acting only as a guide.
The four sets of panels on a metal frame represent the four seasons of Peachland. Students broke into small groups, with each group focussing on one
season.
Maddy Tamblyn, a Grade 11 Mount Boucherie Secondary School student, was one of the prime students on the project.
Tamblyn, along with four other students, worked on the fall panel that took inspiration from the salmon run at nearby Hardy Falls, a waterfall and a three-dimensional bridge.
鈥淚 like the colours of fall, the more toned-down greens especially,鈥 she said.
Tamblyn brought a pair of tiny ceramic ducks to place on the bridge, to make the display interactive.
Also on the bridge were some miniature vintage motorcycles, a nod to the Peachland Vintage and Collectable Motorcycle Show, which sponsored the
sculpture.
For student Bella Alderliesten, it鈥檚 cool to have a sculpture she worked on displayed in front of the Peachland Art Gallery, which is named for her great-grandmother, Mary Smith.
Alderliesten, whose grandfather is Peachland historian Richard Smith, said it is important for her to share her art with the community, especially since her family has lived in Peachland for a long time.
The summer panel of the sculpture includes a miniature of the distinct Peachland Museum as well as a tiny ceramic Ogopogo sculpted by art student Lily Roper.
鈥淗e鈥檚 very cute,鈥 said Paula McLaughlin, vice president of the Peachland Community Arts Council. 鈥淚 like his eyes鈥
McLaughlin said she was thrilled with how the sculpture project forged a strong relationship between the arts council and Mount Boucherie Secondary, making it easy to use more talents from other students.
The Four Seasons of Peachland will be on display in front of the Peachland Historic Schoolhouse on Beach Avenue until at least after the Labour Day weekend in September.
