Richmond students learned about food and nature during the recent BC Culture Days, culminating in an exhibit about life cycles, aptly named “Cycle-logical Wonders.”
The Richmond Arts Coalition partnered with the Richmond School District to put on workshops at the Sharing Farm in Terra Nova.
The final exhibition on Oct. 14 showcased nature and culinary art.
Local artist Bea Martin worked with four groups of students from James Thompson elementary, including from its StrongStart early learning program.
Martin conducted in-school sessions that taught colour theory and the fundamentals of nature journaling, and then worked with the students at the farm on Oct. 13 to complete final exhibition pieces that displayed the life cycle of the apple.
“I love helping my students connect with nature through nature journaling, which consists of using words, pictures, and numbers to describe our observations in our sketchbooks,” said Martin. “I thrive on fostering their curiosity and find it fascinating to see them take their new tools and have their own adventures outdoors by themselves, or with their friends and family.”
Added to this year’s program was a workshop led by culinary artist Nav Sidhu.
Sidhu led Grade 9 and 10 students enrolled in Food Studies at Hugh Boyd secondary through the making of apple crumble tarts.
The apple tarts were decorated with icing sugar to reflect phases of the moon.
Photos of the tarts were displayed alongside the artwork created by the Thompson Elementary students.
“Richmond has such a unique and thriving food scene, and there are many talented culinary artists that work in the city. We’re delighted that Nav was able to share her skills and passion for creating and presenting food with her students,” said arts coalition director Sarah Glen.
This year’s Culture Days, a cross-country expression of arts, culture and creativity, ran from Sept. 22 to Oct. 15.
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