As the fall approaches, we’re excited to see Sharan Gill, Carolyn Kane, Christine Ma and Shay O’Brien launch back into their studies after a successful summer at Agnes as Summer Work Experience Program students (SWEP). This dynamic quad researched, planned and delivered the wildly popular Agnes Art Camps (and much more!), under the supervision of Agnes’s Program Coordinator, Charlotte Gagnier.

Throughout May and June, Sharan, Carolyn, Christine and Shay worked to coordinate diverse art instructors and recruited and trained student volunteers in preparation for camps. Before camp began in earnest, the group also completed important projects for Agnes:

As the Sustainability Interns, Sharan and Christine developed a sustainability plan for Agnes’s studio practice—a report that will be invaluable to Agnes’s Art Camp and ongoing studio programming. This robust report covers material selection, use and disposal, helping to reduce the environmental impact of Agnes’s studio programs. It also lays out best practices for supply purchasing and procurement, ensuring that Agnes supports small businesses from diverse communities.

Carolyn and Shay served as Education Interns, both designing and developing in-person school programs. Carolyn’s focused on portraiture and Shay’s on pushing boundaries in artistic practice. These programs will be prototyped in schools by Carolyn (who is acting as Agnes Head Docent this year) and the rest of our docent team over the next 18 months. Once they’re workshopped, these school programs will be delivered in the new studio space in Agnes Reimagined.

July and August saw six successful weeks of art camp, each with a different cohort of campers and each ending with an art exhibition, where campers showed off their creations to their friends and family. Here’s a sample of some of the feedback we received:

“I cannot say enough about how happy I am with Agnes Arts camp. My daughter loves it and comes home talking about all her experiences. I love how focused the program is and the different mediums used. Plus, the staff are amazing!!”

“Lauren felt empowered and supported. Her love of art was allowed to flourish and grow under the guidance and support of all of the talented, creative and awesome teacher/staff”

Drawn to this position because of her previous work as an Agnes docent, Carolyn applied to this role knowing that working at Agnes in what she calls “a positive, collaborative and encouraging work environment,” combined with her art history degree, will help her achieve her goal of working in the GLAM sector (galleries, libraries, archives, museums) AND travelling the world!

After hearing about the Sustainability Intern role from Queen’s Career services, Christine jumped at the chance to apply, as she was excited to blend her love of the arts and sustainability, after being introduced to studio practice at her arts-focused high school. Going forward, Christine will use the skills she’s gained at Agnes to follow one of the many paths she has in mind, ranging from small businesses (café! animal sanctuary!) to indie game developer.

“I love being a small part of Agnes and the work I did while volunteering felt rewarding and fun, so applying for the summer position felt like the right thing to do!” This quote from Sharan—an Agnes Art Hive volunteer—says it all. A psychology major minoring in art history, she’s taking studio courses this year with the hopes of one day becoming a registered art therapist.

A passion for youth in arts led Shay O’Brien to apply for this role. “It is so beautiful to see more quiet and shy kids really come out of their shell during camp through making art with other kids.” Shay is passionate about making art accessible to kids and families, something they particularly appreciate about Agnes programming. Shay one day hopes to work in a creative field like writing, acting or visual arts.

Thank you to the Summer Work Experience Program at Queen’s for supporting these roles.