Two departments at Brock are working as one in the art exhibit “Chaussettes vertes et bonne nuit, les étoiles /Green
Socks and Good Night Stars.

The exhibit runs from February 10-28 at Rodman Hall in St. Catharines.

Students currently enrolled in “Children’s Literature in French” offered by French Studies, along with students in “Intermediate Painting” from the Visual Arts department are collaborating on the project which is the result of a long interdisciplinary cooperation.

Rodman Hall is also generously contributing with their expertise and resources.

Over reading week (Feb. 16-20) Brock has invited schools across Niagara (both francophone and immersion) to bring classes to Rodman for the exhibit.  Children will participate in art activities in French and will produce story booklets for their schools.

“It is always a pleasure and an amazing learning experience to work with colleagues in Visual Arts and at Rodman Hall,” said Catherine Parayre, Director of French Studies at Brock University.

“Our students in French Studies have been working hard to produce children’s stories and have become more familiar with creative expression, written and visual. Our show is also an opportunity for us to welcome francophones and francophiles at Rodman and at Brock.

The French-speaking population of Niagara is large and very diverse. Francophone schools are particularly strong in the region. It is of course essential for us at the University to maintain the contact and work with and for them.”

The 18-day exhibit includes a closing reception on Friday Feb.  27 at 5 p.m. at Rodman Hall.

“I enjoyed working with Catherine on this project,” Shawn Serfas, Assistant Professor in Visual Arts, said.  “She is generous with her time and has great collaborative ideas.

“My intermediate painting class was buzzing with energy when her 40-plus students visited my class. The two groups worked well together in the studio. The work generated between the courses borders descriptive and abstract visual narratives”.