We Got Mail! is a creative conversation between two high school art classes: one from Mount Boucherie Senior and one from Rutland Senior Secondary. This is a collaborative experiment that was scary, challenging, and fun!

The process started with students generating a number of art pieces and then mailed them off to their counterparts across the lake. Then, they opened the envelope sent to them and was met with the challenge to figure out how to make a new, original piece of art based on the contents inside. Finally, the new piece was mailed back to the original sender for final touches and for them to finish off the visual conversation.

We Got Mail! raised foundational questions for young artists. The high school art process often involves the leap from finding sources of inspiration to creating original art. This project demanded originality from the students. During the art-making process, shared conversations happened at both schools, such as: “What do I send?” “Is my work good enough?” “What if my partner doesn’t like it?” “What do I do with the art that I received?” “How can I transform someone else’s stuff into my own art?” Despite their concern, all of the students were engaged and ready to seek answers to their difficult questions. The result was a meeting in the middle, a culmination of the collaborative creative conversations.

We Got Mail! will be on view in the Members’ Gallery from May 10 to June 1. Join us and the artists from both schools on Wednesday, May 15 from 5-7pm for an opening reception. Light refreshments will be served.