The hallways at Leo Nickerson Elementary are always full of art. Lately, the art has come off the walls and onto the floors. And while most art means look but don’t touch, these beautiful works are so compelling it makes you want to sit on them.
The work is the result of a special project called Chairs that Care, an art project turned fundraiser for Stollery Children’s Hospital. Art teacher Andrea Daly says she’s always getting the school’s 500 students involved in creative endeavours, occasionally for the benefit of social causes.
“We like to do a lot of stuff for the school, most that are promoting fine arts within the building but also service projects.”
This time, the charity of choice was something close to her own heart. When her daughter was still a baby, she had some health problems that required her to receive care from the Stollery. Daly says she wants to give back to the hospital that helped turn around the health of her daughter, now 12.
“They saved her life. She had heart issues and respiratory issues and everything like that. I was just so overwhelmed and impressed with what they were able to do at that hospital. We’ve always been big fans of theirs.”
After looking for ways to combine her love of all things artistic with all things Stollery, Daly sat on the problem. What she came up with is now on display at the school, where 65 artistically painted chairs line the hallways on the main floor.
The chairs, a mix of antiques, and second-hand, donated and otherwise salvaged pieces of furniture, have been refinished and done up in some surprisingly fantastic and professional ways.
The enthusiastic teacher says the students were so exuberant about their contributions that they spent hours of their free time sanding, priming and painting. They even gave up precious recess time in their endeavours. What they came up with crosses the full span of chair-based beauty and brilliance.
There’s a Harry Potter chair with the Hogwarts Academy crest on it. Another one for Little Miss Muffet depicts a bowl of curds and whey tipped over and spilled on the seat. The seat cover is removable, just in case you actually want to sit down.
For hockey fans, there will be a Don Cherry chair in his signature yellow plaid pattern. (Don ‘Chair-y’ anyone?) Some of the objets d’art were painted by artists from the community including high school photographer Bryan Young, Glen Wood and Bonnie Berlinguette.
Grade 5 student Morgan Wilson created a Union Jack chair that would make Her Royal Majesty proud. Even if he doesn’t get formal royal assent, he’s happy to continue his creative streak at school.
“I find it a bit more fun when you’re doing [art] for a good reason,” he stated.
Daly couldn’t be more pleased with the results, even before the fundraiser portion of the project takes place.
“This is an awesome school!”
The silent auction takes place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20 and is open to the general public. There will be other items up for bid in addition to the Chairs that Care themselves.
Attendees can view the chairs any time during regular school hours by checking in at the office. The live auction starts at 7 p.m. If you can’t make it out, the school has made arrangements for a silent bidder system to be set up. Email Daly at: [email protected] to pre-register.
All money raised from the special event will be donated to the Stollery hospital to assist children and families dealing with life-altering and life-threatening illnesses. The Stollery Bear mascot will also be present at the event to take pictures with those in the crowd.
