Supercrawl
Supercrawl is an annual celebration of all things creative in Hamilton and the surrounding community. It’s reincarnated the first Friday evening of every month.
This past weekend, Supercrawl returned to James St. South with gusto. Thousands gathered to see gigantic art installations, open galleries, and peruse vendors and purveyors of all kinds of artistic goods.
Culture for Kids in the Arts
On York and James, an offshoot of the festival was erected as an area specifically for the youngest members of our community. And in this offshoot were our friends from Culture of Kids in the Arts! Some of the children in our After-School and Summer Camp programs are lucky enough to be well acquainted with CKA; a local not for profit organization that is committed to connecting kids to creativity to build a better community.
Celebrating Canada’s Birthday and Canadian’s Rights
Of course, this year not only marks Canada’s 150th birthday, but also the 15th birthday of the Hamilton’s Children’s Charter and the 25th birthday of Canada signing the UN’s Convention on the Rights of a Child. A cause for celebration, indeed! You can check out our previous blog post on Hamilton’s Charter of Rights for Children and Youth here.
To mark the occasion, CKA enlisted the help of media artist Tyler Tekatch, among others, to install a large scale multi-media installation, which translated the charter into a stunning surrealist collage of drawings done by the children who contributed to the charter. The installation also included an interactive mural, animations, soundscapes and music. All of these elements combined to present an expression of gratitude for our community and how it is the best place to raise a child.
Pen Pal Exchange
Many children, including some from Today’s Family, were also involved in the Pen Pal Exchange. They wrote postcards to notable Canadians, like Justin Trudeau, highlighting how their accomplishments were inspiring in regards to embracing and building upon their rights as they move forward into futures that are equally as bright.
One could see how children embrace, accept and express their rights. Some of them brought a sense of humour, others brought a profundity that could only come from the untarnished mind of a child.
More Fun Still to Come!
In the coming year, CKA’s After School Arts Program will continue to focus on the themes of Canada’s birthday and Human Rights. To learn more about CKA, or to sign up for programming, visit their website or follow them on social media! They’re on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
If you missed the exhibit, don’t worry! It will move over to the Art Gallery of Hamilton on November 24th, before it travels to new homes throughout 2018. We encourage you to visit and to start the conversation with your child about the things that they have a right to – like only eating candy sometimes.
Until next time,
– Today’s Family
