This past Sunday afternoon DHC/ART Education hosted its bi-annual open house. Organized in conjunction with the exhibition Wim Delvoye, we offered guided visits and the workshop Gothic Kitsch. We were thrilled to count up to 100 visitors taking part in our activities.

Much like our lunch hour tours but with larger groups, the open house visits bring the general public together to exchange their ideas about the works in the exhibition. Open house visits remind us of the value of our approach, which is grounded in dialogue, when we witness connections being made between strangers from various walks of life. Their shared experiences, perspectives, and expertise complement our work as educators, nourish our interpretations of the exhibition, and help shape our interactions with future visitors.

The open house also offers visitors of all ages the possibility to take part in our art workshop, which is usually offered to groups reserving guided visits. Montreal artist Karen Tam was on site to co-facilitate Gothic Kitsch, which she designed in collaboration with DHC/ART Education. Karen’s workshop draws on Delvoye’s Gothic series as well as both artists’ interests in craft, everyday objects, authenticity, and commodification. This was a special opportunity for visitors who may not usually have the opportunity to discuss an artist’s practice with them; especially in in such an intimate context.

There was a steady flow of participants through the afternoon — some of whom patiently waited (thank you!) for the opportunity to experiment with 3D pens, material of choice for this workshop. Once they got started, participants created mini Tempo shelters and decorated them with Gothic ornamentation. Many left their shelters in the company of the growing number of works made by participating groups that we have on display in the Education room, while others took their fragile creations home, cradled in their hands. Thanks to all those who participated and to Karen Tam for her collaboration! Our next open house in scheduled for June… keep posted for the date, which we’ll announce this spring.

Emily Keenlyside
DHC/ART Education

Photos: Dahlia Cheng, Emily Keenlyside and Marie-Hélène Lemaire