Most of the groups visiting Chronicles of a Disappearance have been CEGEP and university groups. The two open houses (‘portes ouvertes’) we have hosted over the past months have provided the opportunity to work with another type of public. What makes them unique and what might we, as educators, learn from them as we facilitate group visits?

Open house visitors comprise a diverse crowd of adults: multiple generations, varying knowledge of art history, and a breadth of lived experience. What they share is an interest in contemporary art and the desire to spend a Saturday afternoon talking, thinking, and sharing. There are no reports to follow, no related exam questions. Just an informal learning experience to which they will contribute — and hopefully from which they will take — any number of anecdotes, insights, and new facts related to the content and the context of the exhibition.

How do two people in their sixties, one American, one Quebecois, remember images of Robert Kennedy’s assassination? What are the connections a ceramicist makes between her work and that of a video artist? What insight does someone from a military state offer to a discussion of anonymity, loss, and urban violence? How does a community-based educator use contemporary film practice and theory to empower groups of youth?

We can never underestimate the knowledge, experience, and expertise learners bring to any group — school or community. This is especially true with adult groups — like those who we welcome to our open houses — whose many years of interpreting life and art combine to create a rich exchange where the roles of teacher and learner are in constant flux.

Emily Keenlyside
DHC/ART Education

Photos: Emily Keenlyside