Written by: Learn4Life student Mary Castel
tl/dr: I tried something new and had fun! Also, adult ed programs are good for community health and must be saved!
This past Fall, a few friends floated the idea of enrolling in a Toronto District School Board Adult General Interest program TDSB Learn4Life. I hadn't done something like this for years, and it seemed like a great excuse to try something new, and hold weekly dedicated hangout time. Side note: many of said friends are teachers -- truly some of the city's most civic-minded people.
Holy wow! May I just start by saying that the program calendar is overwhelming! Toronto truly benefits by being such a multicultural city. We debated learning how to sew hats, line dance, Korean cooking, small furniture repair or aura-reading. We settled on a beginner acrylic painting class. Some of us had artistic experience, others (ahem, me) none.
The class was held in the well-worn "art annex" of a downtown high school. Our teacher, Samantha Braithwaite, was a rookie, teaching this course for the first time at TDSB. A classically trained oil painter, her day job involves teaching life drawing to video game designers at a local community college. As comfortable talking about comic books as she is unpacking masterpieces, Sam brought a relentless level of energy to the program that was at times dizzying. She had us jump right in. Using only the three primary colours, plus black and white, we tackled the basics of tone and colour mixing, light, shadow, and the illusions of depth and dimension. She had the class working three or four exercises per 3-hour class!
Her mantra - don't be precious about your art. The more you practice, the better you'll get and the less hung up on perfection. Side note: did you know that there's a theory that orange isn't really a colour? And that there is a 'super black' paint that absorbs all light? People are still making discoveries about colour!
I found all of the assignments difficult. I'm used to working on screens and with words. My attempts at art were... not great, especially at first. But I tried not to get too frustrated. Sam's energy was infectious, and my group of friends signed up for the next term, an intermediate acrylics class.
The Spring course was a study in contrast (not literally). The teacher, John, was at the opposite end of the career spectrum from Samantha. He had attended the same high school's arts program during its heyday in the 1970's, before starting his professional art career. The students were predominantly multi-year repeat enrollees in John's classes, indeed, several were working on the same piece for over 2 years! We soon discovered that John's class was really solo studio time with occasional individual guidance, as opposed to directed exercises or step-by-step instruction. His energy was very low-key (think Bob Ross).
The range of projects the students undertook was also interesting. One person was inspired by her garden. Another classmate painted from photographs he took of his ancestors' hometown in Italy. Another student carefully copied "tourist art" beach scenes, as in "Puerto Vallarta - wish you were here". The vastly different class format took a bit of getting used to. My friends and I started off continuing with the "Samantha" approach, assigning ourselves a new project each class, but as the weeks went on, we relaxed a bit, and started coming back to improve on paintings, taking a bit more time to get them right. Side note: We discovered that our paintings looked QUITE a lot better the farther away you looked at them. 😂
The Outcome: I admittedly had pretty high expectations for a program that accepts teaching applications from pretty much anyone in the community! On reflection, I'm glad to say that it was a gift. Setting aside dedicated creative time, having an opportunity to learn something new (from two totally different types of teachers), and being with friends (and strangers) honestly felt great. There is a growing body of research connecting art experiences to our body and brain health. Your Brain on Art, a New York Times bestselling book by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross examines "how our brains and bodies transform when we participate in the arts—and how this knowledge can improve our health, enable us to flourish, and build stronger communities." I'm certainly no talent, but I'm glad I carved out time to try something that challenged me.
On a serious note, this Spring, the school board announced that the Learn4Life program was under threat of elimination due to a funding shortfall. As Canadian cities are faced with an epidemic of loneliness, these programs are not only a fun diversion, but essential to community health. I encourage everyone to inhabit our public institutions, participate in lifelong learning, and give yourself the gift of a challenge.
Now, the only question is what course to take next term! Registration opens on Aug. 14!
10/10 would recommend Learn4Life! 😂