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VIDEO: Blacklock students honour Langley seniors through art

Grade 4/5 class works with local elders to create artwork that will be displayed locally in June
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A number of local seniors sat down with students from Blacklock Fine Arts Elementary to help create an art exhibition based on local history. (Langley School District/Special to Langley Advance Times)

A new art exhibition is in the works for one of Langley’s local art galleries, and it will have seniors in the spotlight.

Students at Blacklock Fine Arts Elementary will be creating pieces of art that will aim to share the story of Langley’s history through the eyes of its elders.

The project is a partnership between Blacklock Fine Arts Elementary, the Langley Human Dignity Coalition, and the Langley Seniors Resource Centre.

“[This is] a chance for them to be honoured, to be celebrated, and to have it documented: the journey that they’ve been on through their life,” Blacklock principal Susanna Eppich said of the storytelling project focused on seniors.

On April 5, the school’s Grade 4/5 split class, had the opportunity to meet with and hear the stories of several Langley seniors from the Langley Seniors Resource Centre.

The seniors came prepared with albums and items from their past to help share their story, and the history of where they grew up.

The students are taking these stories and transform them into a work of art in various forms. It could be a painting, drawing, digital art, or any form of expression which will be showcased later in the spring, Eppich explained.

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“I’m hoping that [the students] will have some empathy, an opportunity to listen to stories really calmly, to think about some deep questions and to want to come back to their classroom and talk about what are the next steps in being able to present the information that they heard today in an art form,” said the principal.

Eppich said this is one of many meetings that will take place.

According to her, these meetings exemplify one of the district’s core values: community, as she says it is giving students the opportunity to learn about the history of the Langley community, but also the people within it.

“I’ve always believed that it takes a village,” said Eppich, “and we have been without our village for the last two years. And today is a chance for us to come back together as a village to support the learning that really does take place both inside and outside of the classroom.”

The art gallery will be located at Langley City hall in early June.

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A number of local seniors sat down with students from Blacklock Fine Arts Elementary to help create an art exhibition based on local history. (Langley School District/Special to Langley Advance Times)
28805729_web1_220414-LAT-RH-SDAndSeniors-SD_4
A number of local seniors sat down with students from Blacklock Fine Arts Elementary to help create an art exhibition based on local history. (Langley School District/Special to Langley Advance Times)
28805729_web1_220414-LAT-RH-SDAndSeniors-SD_5
A number of local seniors sat down with students from Blacklock Fine Arts Elementary to help create an art exhibition based on local history. (Langley School District/Special to Langley Advance Times)


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