The children of Grand Portage have been exploring their creativity this year thanks to art therapist Belle Janicek. A December 12 children’s art exhibit at the Grand Portage Community Center included a mural created by kids in the Grand Portage Summer Youth Program. They illustrated their vision of what makes Grand Portage a special place. The mural remains on the wall at the Community Center.
The children of Grand Portage have been exploring their creativity this year thanks to art therapist Belle Janicek. Last summer, she worked with several children individually and with the kids in the Grand Portage Summer Youth Program as a group, leading to an exhibit of their work December 12, 2013 at the Grand Portage Community Center.
Angel Burnett, Niimin LeGarde, and Rhonnie Poyieier each had several works on display. They used mixed media including paints, crayons, and pastels to create self-portraits, symbol drawings, collages, and landscape paintings. Janicek prefers to have kids develop their work on their own using whatever media they are most comfortable with. “My goal is to empower the children to trust their own process and thereby meet their own expectations, using their own knowledge, experience, and imagery,” she said. “I’m a real stickler about process and not outcome.”
The Summer Youth Program kids created a mural illustrating their vision of what makes Grand Portage “special, beautiful, and magical,” said Janicek. They each sketched out an image of their choice and an image they picked from a hat. Janicek transferred the images onto a large canvas, and the kids painted them in.
Above: Last summer, Janicek worked with Grand Portage youth to create numerous works of art. (L-R) Angel Burnett, Belle Janicek, and Rhonnie Poyieier. Left: This painting by Niimin LeGarde was one of the works of art. A description of her work stated, “Niimin LeGarde likes mixing colors. She says, ‘I like making art because if you don’t like something you can always change it!’”
Grand Portage Education Director Haley Brickner said 22 students “had a hand” in the project.
“And a few feet!” added Janicek.
The exhibit was made possible through donations of time, material, money, and assistance from Patty Nordahl, Berta Bauer, Tim Bauer, Sherrie Lindskog, First & Second Thrift Store, Oshki Ogimaag Community School, and Grand Portage Reservation Tribal Council Programs. Janicek is appreciative of all the efforts that made these projects possible. She hopes funding can be found to repeat the program again next summer.
Janicek works three days a week at Oshki Ogimaag Community School and is available to provide art therapy on an individual basis. She can be reached at (651) 491-6581.
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