Vancouver Contemporary Art Gallery

Education Resources

Are you a teacher looking to further educate your class about one of our exhibitions? Or, maybe you are planning a field trip and would like some further guidance.

Teachers’ Guides support educators who wish to visit the CAG with their students or who wish to carry out lessons related to CAG exhibitions in their classrooms. They include artist biographies, thematic exhibition overviews, suggested points of discussion, as well as recommended readings and references.

Lesson Plans are designed to bring the resources of contemporary art and artists to diverse classrooms. It is our goal to accustom students of all ages to viewing contemporary art and to show that it can be used as a springboard in teaching a variety of subjects. Please feel free to adapt lessons to suit the specific needs of your class and curriculum.

Select an exhibition for related Teachers’ Guides and Lesson Plans:

Search directly for Lesson Plans by subject:

Dance Art Film Field Trip

A multi-venue walking tour of Vancouver's art district.

The Dance Centre
The Contemporary Art Gallery
The Vancouver International Film Centre

Now accepting bookings for K-12 classes for the 2009-2010 school year.

Learning is most effective when it engages, motivates and inspires students. By grouping the educational resources of three institutions, DAFFT project encourages multi-faceted learning outside of the classroom.

Educate students about various art forms/institutions
Provide a unique, multi-faceted learning experience
Present students with the possibility of a career in the creative industry
Inform students of Vancouver's rich cultural activity
Offer schools an affordable and flexible day trip learning opportunity

For more information or to book a trip, please contact:

Jerry Allen
604 681 2700

j.allen@contemporaryartgallery.ca

Guided Visits

The Contemporary Art Gallery offers guided visits of our exhibitions for all age levels. The presentations introduce themes in contemporary art and help the audience develop interpretive skills by involving them in the meaning making process of viewing the exhibition. We encourage visits from primary and secondary schools, ESL groups, university and college students and community groups.

For more information, or to book a guided visit please contact Jerry Allen by email or by phone at 604.681.2700.

ARTS101

ARTS101 is a mentorship program placing volunteer artists with youth in a hands-on learning environment. Working with Watari Youth, Family and Community Services, the Contemporary Art Gallery has created a program that provides youth with the experience and guidance they need to engage in works of creative expression that will have a positive impact on their lives. Through the thrill of creative and artistic expression, youth participants learn to build critical self-discipline, job skills and discover ways to use the arts to communicate difficult thoughts and emotions.

Interested in becoming a mentor? The CAG is seeking professional, practicing artists to engage and inspire youth while at the same time providing them with arts education and life skills. As a mentor, you will encounter a unique way to contribute more actively to the community and realize the power of your practice to affect the lives of a population not generally exposed to the arts.

Professional Development

Every fall, the CAG hosts a Pro-D Day for Teachers to provide a bridge between the educational materials produced by the CAG and their implementation in the classroom. This day-long event features a curator’s tour, artist’s talk and an opportunity to workshop lesson plans with CAG staff.

For more information please email us or call 604.681.2700.

Upcoming Free Guided Visits

Join us for free guided visits of Neo-Native Drawings and Other Works, by Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, on Saturday March 20 at 3 pm and Sunday May 16 at 3pm.

Guided visits are free and open to the public. They provide visitors with an excellent opportunity to develop new skills for interpreting contemporary art.

Interpretive Programs

Art is open to different kinds of interpretation. In fact, many agree that it is precisely this openness to interpretation that demarcates art from other things and distinguishes the poetic from the prosaic. This openness does not mean that all interpretations are of the same order—some have more weight, depth, scope and vigor than others. What constitutes this kind of interpretive prowess? What is a “more informed” interpretation informed about? Can interpretation be open and yet grounded in a set of principles? What are different strategies for interpreting art? Are there interpretive tools that can be utilized in art and applied to other fields? These are the kinds of questions and thinking that have informed the interpretive programs at the Contemporary Art Gallery.

Education Credits

The Contemporary gratefully acknowledges the support of the volunteers who assist in the development of our educational programming.

Lesson Plans developed by:
Jerry Allen
Alicia Barcenas
Cynthia Bronaugh
Janice Cheung
Christina Gray
Heather Emery
Emily Hamilton
Asia Harvey
Naomi Hui
Leah Janzen
Nina Krieger
Alma Krilic
Victoria Lam
Karen Lee
Barb Moore
Kelly Milton
Stefanie Nora Wüest
Rosalee Yagihara

Multimedia Resources developed by:
Sean Arden
Dinka Pignon
Daniela Tovar
Sebnem Koyuncy

Support provided by the CAG Education Committee members past and present:
Anne Jenkins
Nadine Kalin
Chris Nicholson
Nicole Porter
Regan Rasmussen
Phyllis Schwartz
Aubin van Berckel
Elizabeth Walker

Links to art education resources:
ArtStarts
BC Art Teachers' Association