A couple of goofy, irrepressible creatures from 'Frozen' plus various elves, angels, and snowy cabins are a few of the subjects featured in a student showcase of artwork in downtown Cloverdale this month.
Senior art students from Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary have painted windows in a prominent setting along historic 176 Street – the spacious windows of the Cloverdale Learning Centre.
The holiday artwork is part of a new collaboration between the school's art department and the Cloverdale BIA, which also has a large window graced by a wintery scene, thanks to students.
There's a photo contest, and a random winner will be selected every week. The Cloverdale BIA is asking shoppers and visitors to check out the artwork, take a picture of your favourite, and then post it to Instagram (christmasmasincloverdale) and Twitter, using the hashtag #christmasincloverdale2014. A random entry will be chosen each week, and the winner will receive a gift certificate from a merchant in the Cloverdale Town Centre.
Instructor Janine Baker said last year students from Lord Tweedsmuir painted six windows in Whalley as part of a call-out to Surrey schools to decorate windows for a business improvement project.
There, each business paired with a charity, and students were assigned windows to paint, incorporating the charity's logo or other relevant image into the design.
The partnership tied into Whalley's annual art walk, where people walk the neighbourhood, viewing windows and donating to the charities – who are there to promote their cause.
There were prizes for best window and for most donations. While Tweedsmuir didn't win, Baker wanted to do the project again, but preferably something closer to the school.
"I wanted the students to paint in their own neighbourhood, so they could show them to family," she said, adding the project ties into the school's goal of connecting to the community.
So, she contacted the executive director of the Cloverdale BIA, Paul Orazietti, and together they came up with a plan to paint the windows at the shared Cloverdale BIA and Cloverdale Chamber office at 5748 176 Street, as well as the windows of Cloverdale Learning Centre across the street.
The plan came together quickly, which didn’t leave enough time to tackle other business storefronts.
"Next year we hope to have a few more windows to paint," she said, describing how the students gain confidence and skill demonstrating a unique painting style – and the community is decorated for the holidays for free.
Baker notes the Cloverdale BIA covered the costs involved, and also made a donation to the school's art department, "which was greatly appreciated."
The students – all seniors – are proud of their work, but they were nervous about working on larger canvasses than the windows of their school, Baker added.
The contributing artists are:
Nicole Greenbaum and Elyse Dyck, who painted the Reindeer and Snowman from Frozen; Sean Eng and Megan Benoit, who painted an Elf and Sleigh with presents; Tayler Sherstone and Xin Jin, who painted a cabin and reindeer; Emily Gullifoyle and Caitlin Murphy, who painted a cabin and reindeer; and Claire McCallum and Sophie Ladd, who did a white reindeer and tree.
There's also a wreath painted by instructor Janine Baker.