Program allows artists to take their passion to the next level

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/09/2011 (5128 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Matthew Sveinson always had a passion for art, but it wasn’t until he joined the Urban Canvas Program that he realized how far it could take him.

Graffiti Art Programming Inc., a not-for-profit youth arts centre located in Point Douglas, has been offering Urban Canvas since 2000.

Participants spend a total of 10 months in the program sharpening their art skills. A number of graduates of the program have gone on to develop murals and other works of art for businesses throughout the city.

“Being young, I always had that drive and passion for art, but I never knew how to move it out into the market,” said Sveinson, a 21-year-old resident of Transcona.

“They gave me a crash course on a bunch of different avenues, but also similar techniques on how to market it.”

Sveinson originally began developing his artistic skills through tattoo flash, tattoo designs drawn on paper.

He said the opportunity offered by Urban Canvas has allowed him to pursue other artistic endeavours.

“These were definitely avenues I was already looking into, but they helped me by leaps and bounds,” said Sveinson, who graduated from UCP in 2008.

“Without them I wouldn’t have been able to get myself out there as much as I wanted to be.”

Central Park resident Anna Wall, a 2009 graduate of UCP, used to create illegal graffiti tags to channel her artistic muse. That all changed after she enrolled in Urban Canvas.

“UCP helped me not only establish myself as an artist, but also gave me the confidence and motivation I needed to integrate myself into society,” said Wall, 25.

“Being a successful mural artist is extremely rewarding in knowing that piece of art is going to remain there for years to come and appreciated by people in the community.”

Jillian Ramsay, program co-ordinator for GAP Inc., said one of the primary aims of the program is to steer at-risk youth away from showcasing their artistic abilities on the street.

“We wanted to get them in a gallery setting where they would learn skills as a professional artist,” said Ramsay, a Point Douglas resident.

“It’s very anti-vandalism. Instead of tagging a wall, you’re set up with professional jobs.”

Graffiti Art recently revamped its programming in an effort to help participants gain more pre-employment skills.

UCP now provides paint/decorator training, mural-making skills, and employment opportunities for aboriginal youth.

In addition, it also now provides participants with Red Seal apprenticeship training in conjunction with Red River College.

UCP co-ordinator Danielle Winfield said one of the challenges program officials have sometimes faced is finding permanent employment for participants.

She is hopeful that problem will be rectified with the revised curriculum.

“It’s very encouraging. From start to finish you see growth and development in each individual,” said Winfield, who lives in Wolseley. “Being in the program helps them to develop different skill sets.”

Winfield, who is an artist herself, said it’s important to give creative individuals an avenue to improve their skills and display their work.

“I think I’ve been given a great opportunity,” she said. “I received support and I wanted to give back.”

Ramsay said the hope is to offer UCP as an apprenticeship trade program in the future.

“Originally we were drawing in kids we knew had a background with vandalism,” she said. “Now we’re taking in kids who want a career in the end.”

Being a part of the program has helped Wall turn her life around. She hopes it will do the same for others.

“The support that the staff at GAP offered has inspired me to better myself and I became incredibly motivated to make a life for me and my son,” said Wall, who is now in the second year of environmental science studies at the University of Winnipeg.

Sveinson said the program has had a huge impact on his life and hopes it will help other aspiring artists.

“They helped me come this far. At the time, the kind of kid I was, I probably wouldn’t have just done it,” he said. “The place is so inspiring, I just had to strive to do it.”

facebook.com/TheHeraldWpg
Twitter: @HeraldWPG

adrian.alleyne@canstarnews.com