P.E.I. families express themselves with art at Family Sundays at the Confederation Centre – TheChronicleHerald.ca

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. —

Madison DeWitt loves art, so the 10-year-old from Stratford was excited to take full advantage of the first Family Sundays event of the year held at the Confederation Centre of the Arts on Jan. 31.

She finds art to be a great way to communicate, she said.

“I like art because it expresses my feelings. Art and music are a big thing in my life and, of course, my family.”

Running once a month each year from January to April, the free activity sees family members engage with and create art together, drawing inspiration from current exhibits at the centre.

This month, it was Sarah Anne Johnson’s artwork, Into the Woods, from the new exhibition titled The Drive, said Evan Furness, visual arts educator at the centre.

“As you walk by it, it kind of looks like the trees are moving, so we wanted to do something about making 2D drawings or pictures feel like they’re moving, so we thought a flipbook would work.”

The art

A flipbook involves drawing a series of pictures of the same thing on different sheets of paper, then arranging them in order, like a book. When the pages are flipped through, it should look like the drawing is moving.

The animation could be as simple as a circle that keeps growing or it could be more complicated.

Madison chose a sunset as her subject, with drifting clouds and the sun getting lower in the sky.

Sunsets are something she cherishes because of a family member who died, she said.

“I just think it’s beautiful, and it kind of reminds me of someone somehow. Because at night, in the car and stuff, I look outside and I can feel my grandfather.”

Getting out

For parents and children, the day offered an opportunity to enjoy something they haven’t been able to do much of lately, said Joey Margolese who was there with his wife, Shanna, daughter Madison, 7, and son Ben, 3.

“This is basically a get-out-of-the-house activity.”

Each family was seated at their own table as part of the COVID-19 operational plan, but even with the distance, it was a welcome change, said Étienne Côté, who came to the event with daughter Hélène and his partner, Jennifer LaRosa.

“This is a nice combination of being able to interact with folks while keeping it safe.”

Registration required

Last year, only two sessions took place before the COVID-19 outbreak brought an end to them for 2020. Furness is happy to have them back.

“It’s kind of just nice to see people out here again.”

There are some minor changes to the event, though, like needing to sign up ahead of time and the removal of a scavenger hunt element.

For more information, go to confederationcentre.com.

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