VISUAL CONNECTIONS : October 2008

Thursday, October 30, 2008

The Creative Start Workshop Fall 2008

The images below are from the Creative Start Workshop. This workshop is designed for youth with disabilities and is five weeks in length. We will offer the workshop again in the new year.

Update on In Our Voice: Visual Conversations

After trying to get the the In Our Voice: Visual Conversations workshop off the ground we had to cancel it because we could not get any youth participants. We were going to bring youth and elders who have mental illness or mental health issues together to address various issues each generation have or will experience. We were going to use the visual arts as a vehicle for dealing with these issues. We are now going to apply for funding from another source to work with just the elders.

BIOGRAPHY

Gerard McNeil brings a diverse background to his present role as Recreation / Community Access Coach - Program Lead with the Canadian Mental Health Association - Halifax / Dartmouth Branchs' Getting Through the Door Program. For past twenty- eight years, Gerard has been engaged in a visual arts practice with exhibitions in Halifax, Toronto and St John’s. Along with his experiences in the visual arts, Gerard has been facilitating adult and community arts education programs for more than fourteen years. Paralleling this experience is some Twelve years’ experience in the Human Services field working with persons with disabilities.

Informing these experiences is an equally diverse educational background that includes a Certificate in Photography from the Halifax Regional Vocational School (NSCC), a BFA in Fine Arts from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, a Certificate in Adult Education from Henson College (Dalhousie University), a B.Ed - Visual Arts Specialist degree from NSCAD and Mount Saint Vincent University. Gerard also possesses an M.Ed in Adult Education from Mount Saint Vincent University, a Certificate in Non-Profit Sector Management from Henson College (Dalhousie University), and is a Certified PLAR (Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition) Practitioner. Along with these credentials, Gerard has also completed the Tatamagouche Model of Education, Design and Leadership program (Levels One and Two), as well as participated in the Shambhala Institute for Authentic Leadership.