Friday Night at the Gallery

25 January 2013Tokoni A, Hope '13

Last Friday night, a bus full of budding young artists accompanied Ms. Mannion and Mr. Luna on a trip to Victoria. There we visited two art galleries (with one featuring pieces by our very own Mr. Luna!) – the Slide Room Gallery and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

It was dark when we arrived and we all hustled through the cold, hugging ourselves to keep in the warmth and wondering what we would find once we crossed the threshold.

What wonders we discovered!

From paintings to sculptures to interactive art, we were in for a dynamic evening. For a couple of hours, we were whisked away from our routine Brentwood life and given the opportunity to fully immerse ourselves in art. We observed, analyzed and admired the vast array of pieces, trading theories and ideas with each other and sometimes even getting the chance to talk to the artists about their works.

“It was amazing to see Emily Carr’s exhibit, and Mr. Luna’s pieces, of course!” Ciara M, ‘13 quipped.

Rafay C, ‘13, observed, “I was sincerely surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It was different from other art exhibitions. There were people of all ages there to mingle and discuss the works with which made it extraordinary.”

The rest of the group, I’m sure, would agree with their sentiments. From the bright, cozy Slide Room Gallery to the expansive, saturated halls of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, we experienced art that, in some ways, mirrored our own amateur work – full of dedication, meaning and effort. It was encouraging and inspiring.

Mr. Luna wanted to take Brentwood students to see contemporary artwork to expose his students to the dialogues between historical and modern art in a more interactive, real way. “I was familiar with the work of two of the three artists showing at the Art Gallery. I knew the show would give us lots to think about” he said, regarding the question of what made him want to take his students on this outing. “It was fortunate for me that I had an exhibition opening at another venue on the same night, as it offered me an opportunity to show my own work to my students in the context of a group show, which was less formal and more dynamic than presenting a slide show to my students to show them what I do. I also enjoyed the element of risk in showing them work I had only just installed the night before.”

One of Mr. Luna’s pieces hung in the middle of the exhibit at the Slide Room Gallery. Blending multiple colors, materials and concepts, the half-painting-half-sculpture proved to be an exciting insight into the creativity of one of our own art teachers.  Mr. Luna explained his painting, “My work combines drawing, painting and sculpture. I work over the surfaces of old paintings or books, and develop them into sculptural works using papier-mâché. I am interested in the way that this allows me to develop new life from these objects, and also allows me to include many pieces of paper and cord I find while walking, especially since I like to think of walking as an extension of working and thinking.” We were immensely fortunate to be able to be observers of his work for once, considering that it is usually him observing ours!

It was a lovely to escape the “Brentwood Bubble” for an evening and to be inspired by the diverse, vast artwork at the galleries.  Thank you to Ms. Mannion and Mr. Luna for giving us this opportunity!

Tokoni A, Hope ‘13