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Teens busy with art The Christmas Show on this weekend By Saad Rajper Grade 11, Iroquois Ridge H.S. What do you call a bunch of angstridden sweaty adolescent bodies clogged into a small space? High school. What do you call a bunch of angst-ridden sweaty adolescent bodies clogged into a small space with the aim of creating an art community within the city of Oakville? The Oakville Galleries' Youth Council. Two years ago, Grade 11 student Lindsay Wilson completed her co-op at Oakville Galleries, who, with the help of Community Arts Programmer Sarah Febbraro, formed the Youth Council. From its humble beginnings as a small group of Oakville teenagers writing postcards to other teenagers in Hamilton, it has grown into a platform for young artist to showcase their works in youth led gallery exhibitions in places like Oakville Galleries at Centennial Square. I should tell you upfront, this is not a success story; this is a story about success. Success that didn't come without a price; it has taken countless hours, tremendous amounts of effort, and biblically proportioned pizza orders for this collective to continue to create a contemporary art community by and for teens in Oakville. The council has done a fantastic job so far. In the two years they have been together they have put together five exhibitions, created magazines, published a book, entered magazine fairs, and have begun to form the foundations of an art community. Through weekly meetings, we have created a platform for teens to share both the art they're interested in seeing, and the art they're interested in making. After all the ideas have been collected, a concept is born and thus the young artists set out to create their masterpieces. Once these pieces are completed, we work The Christmas Show opens today (Friday) at Hamilton's Careport Centre. The show runs through the weekend. There will be home décor seminars, holiday recipes, food and drink sampling and shopping. This is the largest such show in the golden horseshoe, and includes approximately 100 vendors under one roof. The show will also have prizes, giveaways and VIP gift bags for the first 500 people each day. Children will be able to take a picture with Santa Claus. Tickets cost $10 per day. People are also asked to bring a non-perishable food item or new toy for The Christmas Show's Holiday Drive. For more information and show hours, visit www.thechristmasshow.ca. 29 · Friday, November 18, 2011 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com NOW AVAILABLE... together to set up and curate a show for the work we have made. Comparisons to the Roman Empire have been made on account of our swift and diligent formation, and rise to glory; however, we are too humble to accept these compliments because we believe our work speaks for itself. As important as it is that we are creating these shows for the public to see, our true achievements are in the relationships we are making. If you have ever seen the movie The Breakfast Club you will understand the concept of putting a bunch of random teenagers in a room and seeing what happens. In essence, we are The Breakfast Club after detention is over. We all come from different schools, with different types of friends, but we come together with our shared love of art. Martin Luther King Jr. said he had a dream, and like King, we too have a dream. A dream that one day the name Oakville will be synonymous in the art scene with cities like New York, Paris, or more realistically, Winnipeg. For the time being however, we are satisfied with planning film festivals, exhibitions, and just having the opportunity to share our passion with other teens in the town of Oakville. Presenting l yrics to you Joy r fa avourite h oliday songs ! · 905.338.37 37 · 905.845.42 67 · 905.257.36 33 REALTOR ON DUTY FURNACE & AIR CONDITIONER GET UP TO from our h ome to you rs Roya l LePa ge Real Estat e Serv ices Ltd., Brokerage Merry Christmas MIDTOWN 25 1 DOWNTOWN No rth Ser vic e Rd . We st 32 UPTOWN 10 5-2 6 Lakesh ore Rd . Eas t OAKVILLE PLAC31 Oa k Par k Bo ulv eva rd E KIOSK Oa kvi lle Pla ce Sho ppi ng Ce ntr e $ UP TO 3240 1040 + $ 650 + $ 1550 $ turn to the experts sm * ® IN REBATES GOVT. REBATE UP TO OPA REBATE UP TO FURNACE DIAGNOSTIC ONLY $ 00 BEST PRICE GUARANTEED CARRIER REBATE *Call for details. 49 NORMALLY $99 905-849-4998 www.aireone.com 1-888-827-2665 A+ Rating 9 LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU BETTER *See dealer for details Free! Pick your copy up at The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville L6K 3S4