Old Maxwell School House
Artist (s): Kaitlyn Prosek, Kristina Trofmova, Subrena Jagdat, Hannah Magpayo, Ricky Tan, Samantha Wise
Location in school: "The Street" (Main Hall)
Year completed: 2012
Rationale / Description:
This project began as a tribute to our community, and the impact that education has played in shaping and reshaping the North Oshawa landscape. Upon learning that our School's namesake had been derived from the schools of our recent and distant past, the Art Department began to search in earnest for photographic evidence, articles, and eyewitness accounts, in an effort to create an image which recalled the rural architecture and setting of the first school ever to have been named Maxwell Heights.
To learn that a state of the the art center for learning, like a new High School would be built in Oshawa was very exciting. The prospect of a new beginning, new opportunities for students, new facilities to support student learning and achievement has brought a renewed optimism to our community and to our students lives. This collective enthusiasm and vision to improve the quality of education for the youth in our community is nothing new, in fact the more we researched the more we found that these were old ideas, shared by our ancestors and implemented with vigor and conviction. In other words caring about our youth and the quality of schools is not a modern notion in Durham.
Through the examination of historical records and two wonderful meetings with a surviving student, and teacher of the rural school house, our student painters discovered how their school came to be and how it functioned.
The Origin Story: John Maxwell and his wife kept an Inn, and had many children. Tragically upon the mysterious disappearance of her husband and left to care for her children alone, Mrs. John Maxwell lamented at the state of the one room school house where her children attended. With it's dirt floors and failing structure, the school would have to be improved if Mrs. Maxwell's children were to have a chance. She set out to raise money, activate her community and provide food and lodging to the largely volunteer labor force required to restore the dilapidated building. Because of Mrs. Maxwell's vision of a better future for her children, all the children of the community could now attend this proud brick building, with a wood burning stove, shelving for their library of books, large windows to allow natural light, and the safety, security and pride that one feels surrounded by fine craftsmanship. Upon completion the new building, it was named Maxwell School.
After learning about our community's remarkable history, our student painters set to work, building and preparing the canvas to be painted. After the source image had been chosen and the design and composition were established, we decided to adopt a photo realist style of painting made popular by the likes of Gerhard Richter, and Mark Tansey. We also looked at the photographic masterpieces of the American Regionalist photographer Ansel Adams who traveled the rural landscapes of North America and recorded the beauty and nostalgia of our universal past like no other artist of his generation. We created and mixed a palette of colour which would recall the monochromatic value range of the modern photograph, while also evoking the colours most associated with earth, wood and red brick used in the construction of the school. Six remarkable students worked in shifts, using a common source image, to execute the work over an eight month period. These six grade eleven students were all new to the skill of painting on a large scale. They refined their skills together, encouraged each other, and made strong personal connections over course of the completion of the work. As they overcame technical challenges, they overcame their fear of making mistakes, their confidence grew and the mounting pressure of installing such an important work, only seemed to spur them on.
We hope that this work, encourages members of our school community to give pause and reflect on our communities rich history, and our exciting future together.
Location in school: "The Street" (Main Hall)
Year completed: 2012
Rationale / Description:
This project began as a tribute to our community, and the impact that education has played in shaping and reshaping the North Oshawa landscape. Upon learning that our School's namesake had been derived from the schools of our recent and distant past, the Art Department began to search in earnest for photographic evidence, articles, and eyewitness accounts, in an effort to create an image which recalled the rural architecture and setting of the first school ever to have been named Maxwell Heights.
To learn that a state of the the art center for learning, like a new High School would be built in Oshawa was very exciting. The prospect of a new beginning, new opportunities for students, new facilities to support student learning and achievement has brought a renewed optimism to our community and to our students lives. This collective enthusiasm and vision to improve the quality of education for the youth in our community is nothing new, in fact the more we researched the more we found that these were old ideas, shared by our ancestors and implemented with vigor and conviction. In other words caring about our youth and the quality of schools is not a modern notion in Durham.
Through the examination of historical records and two wonderful meetings with a surviving student, and teacher of the rural school house, our student painters discovered how their school came to be and how it functioned.
The Origin Story: John Maxwell and his wife kept an Inn, and had many children. Tragically upon the mysterious disappearance of her husband and left to care for her children alone, Mrs. John Maxwell lamented at the state of the one room school house where her children attended. With it's dirt floors and failing structure, the school would have to be improved if Mrs. Maxwell's children were to have a chance. She set out to raise money, activate her community and provide food and lodging to the largely volunteer labor force required to restore the dilapidated building. Because of Mrs. Maxwell's vision of a better future for her children, all the children of the community could now attend this proud brick building, with a wood burning stove, shelving for their library of books, large windows to allow natural light, and the safety, security and pride that one feels surrounded by fine craftsmanship. Upon completion the new building, it was named Maxwell School.
After learning about our community's remarkable history, our student painters set to work, building and preparing the canvas to be painted. After the source image had been chosen and the design and composition were established, we decided to adopt a photo realist style of painting made popular by the likes of Gerhard Richter, and Mark Tansey. We also looked at the photographic masterpieces of the American Regionalist photographer Ansel Adams who traveled the rural landscapes of North America and recorded the beauty and nostalgia of our universal past like no other artist of his generation. We created and mixed a palette of colour which would recall the monochromatic value range of the modern photograph, while also evoking the colours most associated with earth, wood and red brick used in the construction of the school. Six remarkable students worked in shifts, using a common source image, to execute the work over an eight month period. These six grade eleven students were all new to the skill of painting on a large scale. They refined their skills together, encouraged each other, and made strong personal connections over course of the completion of the work. As they overcame technical challenges, they overcame their fear of making mistakes, their confidence grew and the mounting pressure of installing such an important work, only seemed to spur them on.
We hope that this work, encourages members of our school community to give pause and reflect on our communities rich history, and our exciting future together.