What started off with an invitation from Huntsville OPP Detachment Commander John-Paul Graham to see if Huntsville High School students might be interested in decorating the ceiling tiles in the community policing office at the Canada Summit Centre, has turned into a collaborative community project.
Trevor Arndt’s Grade 11 Art class stepped up to the plate with their Art 4 Change project, which was officially unveiled on Tuesday, June 20.
Twenty students put their paintbrushes to ceiling tiles and created their own commentary with paintings about their community and how to make it a better place. Issues as simple as fixing potholes and as complex as mental health, and everything in between, were some of the themes the students focused on.
“They were all great ideas, from the potholes to cleaning up the environment to more mental health supports,” noted Arndt. “Some of the ceiling tiles have to do with wellness, relationships, healthy living, and getting along with everyone no matter what age, what gender, and so a lot of them have identified those sort of issues. I think it’s an amazing opportunity for youth to actually have a voice, and express that,” he said, adding also that being able to display art in a public place is what art is all about.
“They’ve done a beautiful job,” said Acting Huntsville OPP Detachment Commander Matt Turner. He said he hopes the project will bridge a gap and make students a little more comfortable around police. “And I hope to see them back for more,” he said, referring to the remaining unpainted tiles.
“It was a lot of fun. We all had a lot of fun making these tiles,” said Carolyn Yungblut, 17. She said it took about two weeks and she’s happy with how the tiles turned out. “I think they’re going to send very positive messages to the community.”
Yunglut’s painting is about refraining from alcohol and drug consumption during pregnancy. “Don’t drink or do any drugs when you’re pregnant,” she pleaded.
Kiela McPherson, 17, addressed mental health in her painting depicting a girl with dark colours on one side and light on the other. “My message in the painting is to remind people to block out the negative thoughts and fill your mind with positive and good vibes, and just remind yourself that anything negative that comes into your mind isn’t true and that everybody is beautiful and everybody is loved.”
Sydney Flinn, 19, created two paintings. One of them speaks to the choices we make and the other depicts a heart behind glass to be accessed during an emergency. “Normally, you have emergency equipment in a box like that so in an emergency sometimes I feel like people need to remember to have a heart. So the heart in the emergency box is supposed to kind of represent that,” she said, adding that people should be kinder and more compassionate during difficult times.
Savanah Spencer, 17, said her painting is about the masks we wear and mental health. “As a student, I feel as though sometimes we have to put on a fake mask of how we feel and we don’t exactly get to represent ourself because of academic, social, and media pressures. So we have to put on a mask saying that we’re happy sometimes when we’re really not. So, I feel that the community could really benefit from knowing this about students,” she said, adding that less academic pressure, more acceptance, and support for mental health would go a long way.
Huntsville Councillor Scott Morrison was invited to the unveiling as well. “I love that they’re promoting art and a connection with police and our Summit Centre. We are known for our art, whether it be physical art or performance art, and the fact that it’s still being pushed in our high schools is really, really important because they’re helping create the next generation of our artists in our town and I’m loving that these students are excited about it,” said Morrison. “The fact that they took on this project and created various different pieces of art and then we’re going to display them to the public is amazing.”
To see a compilation of the paintings, click HERE.
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