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Freedom Documentation Project

The Freedom Documentation Project was a 9 month, long term artist residency project that CAHEP developed in collaboration with Valley Central Public School, Shaw Community Channel 10. 5 educators, 12 artists, 5 community members, Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board, 3 high school students and 73 grade 5 and 7 students. The 3  grade 12 St. Patricks high school students are being mentored in video documentation with artist Anne Elizabeth O'Brien. The central themes being explored are freedom and captivity from local, global and historical perspectives. The project was completed in 4 phases:

1. Feeding the Fire - The learners and the artists received 8 presentations from artists and community members on several perspectives about freedom and captivity (POW Camps, Draft Dodgers, WWII, Enslaved People - Underground Railroad, History of Stories on Cloth, How the Media Enslaves our Youth, Segregation, Residential Schools) They also viewed 4 videos, were offered stories, print material, visual pictures and artifacts to round out the research for the project.

2. Integration/Collaboration -The students began working in various groups - visual art/play creation and music -  to begin developing ideas around freedom and captivity. Several of these sessions were integrative and collaborative. Each of the students were able to "taste" each of the disciplines in various ways. The script for the play creation was developed by the students at this time and facilitated by  Eleanor Albanese. The music for the play was being developed with the students and was facilitated by Lise Vaugeois. The design for the freedom quilt was being developed by the students and facilitated by fabric artist Deb Ascher Palmquist.

3. Rehearsal/Production - Phase 3 was the rehearsal/production/performance phase with two performances taking place at the school and one public performance taking place at Thunder Bay Art Gallery. The success of the project within the community was strong. The performance dates of May 10th at 7:00 p.m. and May 11th at 9:15 a.m. at Valley Central School and Thursday May 12th at Thunder Bay Art Gallery were all well attended and the comments following the performances were wonderful both for the subject matter that was explored and how the story was told, and for the work that these students created. 

4. Phase 4 - Documentation - This will be the work we have collected over the entire project both to publish a document on best practices, as well as produce a DVD with the visuals as we have been working on with Jenny Boyer, a very skilled film artist. The DVD and publication will be ready for the benefit of others by April of 2006.

CAHEP would like to thank the Ontario Arts Council for their very generous support for the  Freedom Documentation Project.

Video documentation of this project.