Abbotsford’s Robert Bateman Art Activism class exploring women’s issues at art show
When Pakistani human rights activist Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head on a bus by a Taliban gunman in 2012 for refusing to stop attending class, the world reacted in horror and change was sparked.
A decade later, the echos of that bullet and her painstaking work are still being felt and have inspired a group of students at Robert Bateman Secondary School’s Art Activism class to express themselves through creativity and art.
The class, consisting of Grade 9 to 12 students and led by teacher Claire Apostolopoulos, present their works entitled Women’s Issues: An Exploration of Topics That Affect Women Across the Globe on Saturday (June 17) from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Cru Studios (Unit 202 2645 Montrose Ave.) in downtown Abbotsford.
Students explored topics through large paintings such as gender inequities in sport, sexual exploitation, the wage gap, child marriage and other issues impacting woman globally.
But the course started with a novel study of the aforementioned Yousafzai and her book I Am Malala. After diving into that work, students created small portraits of women they looked up to, leading up to the final project – the art show.
On Monday (June 12), Grade 11 student Didi Brown was putting the finishing touches on a Greek mythology-inspired painting that she said represents sex trafficking and assault using the story of Persephone.