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Art for Kids (Ages 12-14)

Art for Kids (Ages 12-14)

This playlist features a collection of biographies of some of the most famous Canadian artists, from Frederick Varley to Maud Lewis, that are accessible and engaging for students.

Films in This Playlist Include
Varley
Lismer
Kurelek
Blackwood
Maud Lewis: A World Without Shadows
Eskimo Arts and Crafts
Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak

  • Varley
    1953|16 min

    This short documentary is a portrait of Frederick Varley, Canadian painter and member of the Group of Seven. In the film, Varley returns to his studio in Toronto after a sketching trip. The camera moves about the studio selecting examples of his canvases and watches him as he begins a new painting.

  • Lismer
    1951|19 min

    This short documentary looks at the work of artist Arthur Lismer, a member of the Group of Seven, emphasizing his contribution to art education and to Canadian art. At the Montreal Art Centre we see how children learn the independence of creative self-expression in art.

  • Kurelek
    1967|10 min

    A documentary about the self-taught painter William Kurelek, told through his paintings. There are scenes of village life in the Ukraine and the early days of struggle on a prairie homestead and the growing comfort of family life. In Ontario, Kurelek paints the present life of Canada with the same pleasure he painted the old.

  • Blackwood
    1976|27 min

    This short film studies the works of one of Canada's greatest contemporary etchers - Newfoundland-born David Blackwood. The artist himself guides viewers through a step-by-step explanation of the etching process. Scenes of his hometown, examples of his own work and vivid tales of an old mariner recall the tragic seal hunts and a way of life that has now vanished.

  • Maud Lewis: A World Without Shadows
    1976|10 min

    Set against a background of her paintings and the Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, landscapes they depict, this short documentary is a portrait of the life and work of one of Canada's foremost primitive painters, Maud Lewis. Emerging from her youth crippled with arthritis, Lewis escaped into her painting at the age of 30. She had never seen a work of art and had never attended an art class but her paintings captured the simple strength, beauty and happiness of the world she saw - a world without shadows.

  • Eskimo Arts and Crafts
    1943|18 min

    A doc about the Inuit art of Baffin Island. The film illustrates traditional leatherwork and carving, and the construction of a kayak.

  • Eskimo Artist: Kenojuak
    1963|19 min

    This documentary shows how an Inuit artist's drawings are transferred to stone, printed and sold. Kenojuak Ashevak became the first woman involved with the printmaking co-operative in Cape Dorset. This film was nominated for the 1963 Documentary Short Subject Oscar®.