Conference Artwork 2022

Nexus

Kari-Anne Eby (Kooy)

“Nexus” features many different mediums and textures including acrylic paint, thread, and chalk pastel. Near the centre of the canvas, two mountains have been painted one upright and one turned upside down. Above the mountains is a starry night sky and below features a light blue sky. Between and around the mountains is a network of bright peach thread stitched directly onto the canvas to create webs. Surrounding these threads is a larger yellow web that extends above and below the mountain line. Three colourful beams radiate from the webs and splinter into broader bands of colour that meet the edge of the canvas. Colours include bright pinks, purples, yellows, blues, and greens.

The piece was intended to show-case how connections made through research and learning can drastically change the landscape of education. The mountains featured on this piece are solid yet one of the mountains has been flipped through the transformative process of connection. From the discoveries and relationships made through research and learning, new meaning is made. This is illustrated through the beams of colour radiating from the network of threads. These beams of light and colour drastically change the landscape beneath and allow the viewer to see the world on the canvas in a new way. Similarly, relationships and new insights gained through research can drastically alter the landscape of education and uproot systems of power that typically govern this field. Through research and collaboration our community of educators have the power to challenge the dominant standards of education and push for a better future.

Kari-Anne Eby (nee Kooy) is a teacher candidate in the Master of Teaching program, Primary/Junior stream. She also has a background in social work and completed her Master of Social Work at Wilfred Laurier University in 2020. Currently, she is working part-time as a therapist for school-aged children and young adults. She has maintained a strong interest in art throughout her life and tries to find ways to bring art into every aspect of her life including within her studies. She is a Passionate advocate for the arts and the role they can have in helping individuals to find self-expression and healing. Her hope is to incorporate psychotherapy tools within educational settings while also applying her interest in art.