OmniTRAX/Broe Quest Series
Nancy Litchfield Hutchison
Instructor, Studio Programs, Winnipeg Art Gallery
Nancy Litchfield Hutchison, BA ’71 (English) University of Winnipeg; Cert. In Education ’73, University of Manitoba; Honours Thesis in Painting ’90, School of Art, University of Manitoba.
For ten years she has been coordinating and teaching Special Art Classes, sponsored by the Winnipeg School Division at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.
This program is devoted to inner-city children who, for various reasons, are non-communicative and introverted and therefore in need of alternative, non-verbal opportunities for self-expression in a psychologically accepting and safe environment.
The classes frequently mix Aboriginal children and recently immigrated children, particularly ESL students.
Using visual art activities the classes emphasize the development and awareness of trust and emotional security, non-verbal, direct emotional expression, as well as representational narrative art that connects the specific daily realities of the students’ lives with the psychological issues present. Discussions of cultural difference are included, and enrich the program contents. One on one verbal communication is encouraged, as is small group interaction.
Communication with the schools also facilitates referrals to other agencies and services.
The creative energy and spirit of the children, their resilience and survival, however large their struggles and however small their expressions, continue to amaze her.