Chewing gum art a real hit with kids Artists give back to elementary students with profitable, interactive candy art By GINA ROGERS fter wowing a local elemen- tary school with their inter- active, multi-phased candy project, Big Rock Candy Mountain,’ a pair of artists explained the kind of impact participatory art can have on getting students more involved in public art. Helen Reed and Hannah Jick- ling, who came to Langara College’s Visiting Artists series to discuss public artwork, started the participa- tory project with Queen Alexandra Elementary School in East Vancou- ver, after the students were seeking more skills-based learning. Reed and Jickling’s latest collabo- ration produced chewing gums with different flavors and names. Hello Kitty Bubble Bath is among the different kinds. Sales profits from the candies made by the students are going toward more arts supplies, workshops and visits from artists for their school. “Thunder with green apple’ blows my mind, every time,” said Jickling. Reed, who shares a background in punk and music scenes with Jickling, said they both have a very strong interest in how to showcase art outside of regular galleries. “We are always interested in the way art can sneak into places where it may not seem to be.” — HELEN REED, ARTIST “We are always interested in the way art can sneak into places where it may not seem to be,” Reed said. Or “where it may not be welcome,” Jickling said. Artist Elizabeth Milton helped host the event, making it the latest in a Visiting Artists series by Langara’s Fine Arts department. Milton, a fine arts instructor at Langara, believes that exposing students to elaborate, interactive art that manifests in unusual ways is beneficial. “It’s really exciting for students to be exposed to practices that are participatory, are performative,” Milton said. “And that also show that idea of the radicalism of play and that interrogate various institutional structures but in a way that is acces- sible and playful.” Now that Vancouver has gotten a taste for participatory art in schools, the reproducibility of the project, and not just its products, could essentially be replicated, but Jickling is confi- dent they've created something quite unique. “The message we've developed is kind of idiosyncratic and particular... I don’t think it’s replicable” Jickling said. money. PHOTO BY HAI NGUYEN VIA PEXELS By LINA CHUNG aely Blanche would not be an event coordina- tor with Vancouver Film School without the co-op work experience she gained while doing her business degree at Lang- ara College. “My resume would have been passed over,” Blanche said, since she only had restaurant server work expe- rience previous to getting co-op work experience in event coordi- nation for Lang- ara. A recent Statistics Don Hill Canada study MANAGEMENT found that two CHAIR years after grad- uation, people with college bachelor degrees made on average 12 per cent more than people with university bachelor degrees. The study found that the major reason was because college degree participants chose higher paying fields such as business. Marc Frenette, the study’s author, said that although the wage gap is a significant finding, college degree graduates are only a small percent- age, of roughly four per cent, of total university degree graduates. “If bachelor degree programs were offered in all community colleges across Canada, would the findings still hold?” said Frenette. “It’s not clear. This could be a very select group of colleges and types of students taking those programs.” Don Hill, chair of Langara’s busi- ness management program, is not surprised by the wage differential because colleges, in general, are more applied than universities. “We tend to give [students] more of an education that is business ready,” Hill said. Rochelle Grayson, chair of Langa- ra’s marketing management program, said she is consistently reading job descriptions that are posted online. “That’s what drives my curricu- lum,” Grayson said. Although Blanche attended Langara with the intention to trans- fer to UBC’s business program, she changed her mind and decided to stay. “I just had such a great connec- tion with the teachers and I was just enjoying the small classes and the entire school,” Blanche said. Annual earnings of college bachelor's degree holders. Annual earnings of university bachelor's degree holders. Annual earnings of certificate holders. Annual earnings of diploma holders. SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA Newest study by Statistics Canada suggests that students who choose to graduate with a bachelor's degree from a college versus a university make more College beats university StatCan study suggests college degrees earn a higher pay Kaely Blanche is pictured here in her role as events coordinator with Vancou- ver Film School, a position she credits to the education and experience she received from Langara's business program. PHOTO SUBMITTED BY KAELY BLANCHE