|
 HISTORY
OF THE PROJECT
In September 2007, the Art Gallery of York University organized
Black Creek United, a two-month interdisciplinary art workshop
that took place at “The Spot”, a youth drop-in centre located in
Yorkgate Mall. Taught by community artists Liz Forsberg and
Laura Reinsborough the workshop culminated in exhibitions of
photographs at “the Spot” and the AGYU, as well as a youth-led
community art walk along the Black Creek on November 3, 2007.
This art-based walk provided an occasion to celebrate the creek
and share the ecological
knowledge that youth had acquired over the course of the
workshop about this unique habitat. Friends, family and the
general public were invited to walk and discover featured stops
along the creek route which included an exhibition of
photographs by participants installed on sumach trees, as well
as an installation of papier maché sculptures of red winged
black birds, kingfishers, and passenger pigeons all of which are
current or former inhabitants of the Black Creek. Youth invited
participants to create a series of outdoor art installations
using found objects such as leaves, branches, and sumach
berries, and also engaged people in outdoor experiential
activities such as sound-mapping interventions using sidewalk
chalk.
THE EXHIBITION
 Inspired
by the principles of psychogeography, Forsberg and Reinsborough
invited workshop participants to take
exploratory walks through the community and along the creek as a
means of developing their visual and auditory awareness.
These walks also provided an occasion to recount some recent
 stories
such as the flooding of Finch Avenue and older histories
including the area’s agricultural past and aboriginal heritage.
Observing and listening to the overlooked sights/sites and
sounds of their neighbourhood, participants performed a
perceptual inventory, documenting their visual and textual
responses. A number of photographs were taken by youth during
our exploratory walks through the Jane and Finch neighbourhood
while others document the various stages of the workshop.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
 Through
workshop activities and the production of new works,
participants came to recognize the public role that contemporary
art can play and the ways in which it can serve as a catalyst
for community dialogue, collaboration, and pride. With time, the
artworks produced increasingly reflected participants’ growing
connection to the creek and its habitat as well as an increasing
sense of environmental awareness and responsibility.
 The
Art Gallery of York University’s experience delivering arts
education programs to youth in the Jane and Finch community, has
demonstrated how contemporary art can serve as a much-needed
platform for creative self-expression and validation that
contributes to youth empowerment. With programs like Looking at
the Overlooked: An Exhibition of New Works by Students from C.W.
Jefferys Collegiate Institute and Monsignor Johnson Catholic
High School; Cover to Cover: An Artist Book Project by Youth
From the Jane and Finch Community; and Black Creek United: An
Arts Based Walk Along the Black Creek, we have witnessed
first-hand the benefits of engaging youth in arts education
initiatives.
 The
Art Gallery of York University would like to thank Liz Forsberg,
Laura Reinsborough, the staff at “The Spot” and the Jane/Finch
Community and Family Centre, Ewa Piatkowski, Library Service
Manager, York Woods Library, Denise Piper, Branch Head, York
Woods Library, Darryl Bank, Kateryna Topol, and all of the
artists who participated in this project. The AGYU is also
grateful to Northern Artists for supporting this arts education
initiative.
The Art Gallery of York University is a university-affiliated
public non-profit
 contemporary
art gallery supported by York University, the Canada Council for
the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the City of Toronto through
the Toronto Arts Council, and through our membership.
For further information about Black Creek United or for
information about the AGYU’s educational programming in the Jane
and Finch community, please contact Allyson Adley, Education
Assistant at 416.736.2100 ext. 88608/
aadley@yorku.ca. |
