Jason Avery, Dawn White Beatty, Judi Burgess, Monica Didur, and Marla Panko. I worked as an acoustic guitarist in the mid to late seventies and played loud electric music until the middle eighties. In spite of this I remain a good listener, a requisite for the Artists at the Centre approach. I am a self-taught artist and have exhibited locally. I have worked with assemblages of materials, constructions, carving, hand beaten metal, and photography. I am earnest and curious and therefore completely at the mercy of all. I am learning every day. It has always been so for me. With any luck, it will continue so. jasonavery@hotmail.com As a visual artist I explore themes of transformation, memory, history and spirituality in the landscape, aware of the ways in which environment teaches, guides and speaks. I try to hear the messages and use these in my work. I work in mediums of mixed media drawing, sculpture and drawing assemblage, papermaking and book structures, pastel and experimental drawing media. I also write poetry and text fragments that I include in my visual works. I have worked for twenty-five years in the Hamilton arts community as an exhibiting visual artist, writer, arts educator, designer and for the last ten years as a curator of art exhibitions. My recent exhibitions include 'Intimations', Art Gallery of Hamilton, 'Boreala', McMichael Canadian Collection, Kleinburg, and 'there and back again', Soho20 Gallery, New York. I share a studio in downtown Hamilton with sculptors Juliet Jancso and Jane Adeney. My life as an artist depends on making a vast well of time available for the exploration, the long search and the gathering necessary for artistic growth. The journey and the process are such important aspects to me, and the final form of the painting or drawing or sculpture represents only a small portion of the total wonder and learning that happens each time I make a piece of art. As a new artist to the Artists at the Centre project I have joyously discovered that the journey/process and the gift of time are also important elements of the Reggio Emilia approach. When teachers, artists, children and families are all working together to provide an environment of adequate time for discovery and access to the needed research materials, the magic of discovery and learning happens. It is my privilege to be present to enable and encourage this process by introducing materials and techniques that facilitate the exploration and learning. Collectively we strive to recognize and cherish the 'hundred languages' of expression employed by the children. Watching a drawing take form as the story of it is being told out loud, the drawing and the story spiralling out from the imagination of a child, is a precious gift. Being invited to share a child's world of imagination and wonder, having time to explore the materials and methods of art-making that facilitate the learning, taking time to meander off of the pathway, through the forest, under the sea, up and away into space…wherever the imagination and curiosity of the child leads- all are such valuable moments! Time for fun in the learning and time for serious and respectful consideration of the work of children; this is the magic that happens. As I am able facilitate it through guidance with art materials, they really direct the entire journey, learning to find their own answers through hands-on exploration. They are my teachers. They develop creative thinking and fearless exploration techniques as they study the world around them and define their individual places there. They learn to be learners and to be teachers, and to mine deeply the rich veins of knowledge available to them and they know that their discoveries are valued. We are able to come back again and again together, and revisit that moment of learning, to build upon it and reinforce it through related incidents and provocations, weaving ever-larger webs of learning. We have time to build trust and friendships and safe spaces for exploring and celebrating the inner worlds that are the stuff of children and of art. dawnwhitebeatty@aol.com I am a visual artist. I graduated from McMaster University in 1986 with an Honours B.A. in Art and Art History. I have exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Grimsby and Toronto. My most recent major exhibitions (2006) include “Domestica” at the Burlington Art Centre, and “Old from New” at the Transit Gallery in Hamilton. I was the Coordinator of the Carnegie Gallery in Dundas from 1989 – 92, Administrator of the Hamilton Artists Inc. from 1992 – 94, and the Financial Coordinator for the Hamilton Artists Inc. from 1994 – 2003 Today, I continue my own art practice (consisting predominantly of paintings on furniture) exhibiting in galleries and creating privately commissioned art pieces. Recently, I was the facilitator for a mural created by street-involved youth, part of “Youth Anti-Abuse Project” (YAAP developed through Wesley Urban Ministries and SACHA Sexual Assault Centre Hamilton). In 2006/07 and 2007/08, a fellow artist and I implemented an After School Art Programme at two elementary schools (one in 07/08), with support from both School Boards, the Ontario Arts Council (06/07) and the Hamilton Community Foundation (07/08). I have had the recent privilege of joining “Artists at the Centre”. I say privilege because working with preschool children has been refreshingly rewarding. When one embraces the Reggio Emilia approach, one’s eyes are opened to the inherent intelligence of children and their amazing ability to analyze, for themselves, what they experience. From this perspective, the naïve are wise and working with these children in this way has invigorated my own way of looking at the world; further questioning and analyzing with wonder, examining macro and micro. Respecting a child’s thoughts by encouraging creative expression is key, and, to my mind, can only lead these young ones to a lifetime of brave accomplishments. Top
		I am a visual artist and have been actively involved in the arts community for the last twenty years as a volunteer, fundraiser, teacher and exhibitor. I work in watercolour, pastel, oil and acrylic. My paintings celebrate the beauty of everyday objects and convey a feeling of serenity and simplicity. My subjects are often still-lifes or simple interiors. Working in this project has been very exciting. I have always had a particular interest in art and the nurturing of creativity in children. Art is filled with a wealth of colour, rich texture, and exciting shapes and forms. Making art should be a joyful activity. The project has provided me with the opportunity to work with small groups of preschoolers, helping them expand their sensory awareness and ability to communicate through art. For many this is their first experience with the idea that the marks they make have meaning. My role is to encourage the children to use drawing, painting, sculpting, and constructing, as new languages for expressing what cannot always be expressed verbally. The freshness of their perceptions and their eagerness to engage in new experiences make working with them joyful and invigorating. Education
		BA (Sociology and Psychology), University of Toronto
		Primary Specialist’s Certificate, Toronto Teacher’s College
		Part-time art studies in all media, Dundas Valley School of Art
		Library Part 1, Brock University
		Teaching Experience
		Hamilton Board of Education - Kindergarten
		Hamilton Board of Education - Grades 2 and 3
		Happy Times Co-Op Nursery School - Program for 2 year olds
		Hamilton and Wentworth Boards - Supply Teacher
		Wentworth Board of Education (Half-time) Kindergarten to grade 6
		Classes in Art, Drama, Journal Writing, Reading and Math
		Exhibitions
		Recent Solo Exhibitions: Carnegie Gallery, 2002; St. James Church, 2000; Carnegie Gallery, 1994
		Annual Group and Juried Exhibitions: Carnegie Gallery Artist Members; Women’s Art Association; Dundas Valley School of Art Alumni Association
		Dundas Studio Tour – 2001, 2002 Awards
		Dundas Valley School of Art - Marion Farnan Volunteer Award 2001
		Ministry of Citizenship Volunteer Award – 5 Year and 10 year (Arts Volunteering) davedidur@netscape.ca Top
		I have been teaching art to people of all ages for over twenty years. My main desire through teaching has always been to share and encourage the love of art. I have taught experimental classes, theory classes, technique classes, and process classes. Those experiences which have best prepared me for encounters with such young children have been, oddly enough, adult classes promoting the creative spirit and creative play by convincing adults to let go of the rules and engage in risk. Working in this program is extremely rewarding because it provides an opportunity for me to witness the abundance of unrestrained creative energy which children possess so intrinsically. I believe this can make me a better instructor. Through teaching we can continue to learn. Although I devote a lot of time to teaching, my priority remains the development of my artwork. I continue to paint and exhibit, and consider the boundary between the experiences of creating art and daily living to be very fuzzy. They are inextricably bound together. In my own work, I am guided by the desire to somehow make visual sense of the world around me. I am dealing primarily with finding ways to express the creative endeavour for it is the creative process itself that can act as a metaphor for larger, simpler truths. Top

One community's exploration of the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education.