Pictograms

 Posted by Mara

Whether you are aware or not, pictograms rule our lives! Mwahaha! Okay, that was pretty dramatic. But seriously,  these simple drawings denoting instructions are everywhere, telling us: which way to go for an elevator, food, or  subway; when there is a campsite or children are playing nearby, what kind of chemicals are hazardous, even which gender a washroom is for! The neat thing about this form of visual language is that it is universally understood, bypassing all language barriers.

These signs-you may recognize them, as they are posted around the school- were created by Commercial Design 11. Can you figure out what these pictograms are showing?

                

Pink Shirt Day

Posted by Mara
As warmer days approach, so to does Pink Shirt Day. Recently, the a committee of several students and staff made the difficult decision of which design to choose, to grace Point Grey's iconic pink shirts. Though we can't tell you yet which of the strong and varied designs was the winner, I can show you a sample of some of my favourite designs. Which one do you think was chosen??

A History Lesson

   Posted by Mara

  Whether you had noticed or not, the Point Grey Art Club is up and running again this year. Our current project involves giving the Point Gallery (for those folks who haven't heard of it, it is Room 108, re-imagined) a more aesthetic - and creative- feel; in short, painting wooden chairs!

   Little did we know, that these chairs were a legend, throughout the VSB. Called henderson chairs, they were designed and built (each one numbered) solely in the 1960's specifically for Vancouver schools, by the master carpenter Henderson, from where they derive their name.  When I learned that they were coming up for 50-odd (!) years of service and use, I was surprised that they were still in such good condition. Innocuous, yet familiar, this distinctive design of  chairs drift in and out of classrooms, amidst their plastic and vinyl counterparts. It makes it that much cooler, then, that the chairs we are painting have a story to them; they are a legacy, repurposed.

   The club has decided on three colour schemes so far, red-purple for one chair, and turquoise for the other, and currently, sunshine yellow.  And if you think this is actually a really cool project you would like to try, you're in luck: starting soon, these chairs will make an appearance in the front hall at lunch for anybody and everybody to paint, so join us then!

Give me a sign!

Posted by Mara

I don't know about you, but colourful protest signs, carried on marches, make me think 1960's, all the way. In fact, one could even say they are a thing of the past, right? Wrong.

The gray Tuesday morning of January 20th found Mr. Long's art students making a bit of a commotion, in the heart of Kerrisdale. Having just completed a cardboard-poster painting assignment (mounted on a wooden post), it was time for a test run. In the spirit of peaceful protests, these thought- provoking, art-inspired snippets of prose were held high, and paraded past baffled, unsettled, supportive and surprised onlookers, respectively. Mixed reactions abounded, but the protesters was pleased by the powerful effect  this creative, artistic demonstration had on the general public.