By Pam Wright, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Chatham Voice
Grade 12 art students at John McGregor Secondary School understood the assignment.
The class was asked by the owners of Turns & Tales to create crow-themed art to display in the windows of the downtown Chatham store.
In under two weeks’ time, the students delivered.
“They stepped up,” said teacher Jenn McQuade, who helped organize the initiative. “They gave up their personal time and even came in on the weekend to finish the project.”
Two paintings and a repurposed chandelier complete with bright blue origami crows were chosen by the class for the display.
Ironically, one of the paintings was the first Caleb Lewsaw has ever done. The unnamed piece features a trio of crows – one is bespectacled – reading a magic book. The other painting, also unnamed, is a canvas by Avery Kennedy depicting a crow sitting on a skull atop a pile of books. It’s only the second year that Kennedy has been painting.
The chandelier, created by Chloe Tetrault, is called “Other Friends Have Flown Before.” Tetrault thrifted the chandelier, used recycled various household items such as bottle caps, and crafted all of the crows herself.
Kennedy said the collaborative effort on the Turns & Tales display exemplified the class motto of “given an opportunity for public art – we take it.”
