Meet Catherine Hois, AWE’s new Education Assitant!
Hi! My name is Catherine Hois, and I am a visual artist and art educator. I completed my Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Education at York University, and continued my education with a Master of Fine Art, also at York. As a child I loved making things. Drawing, painting, beading, or any other crafty medium. Creating things was always calming and enjoyable for me. When I began to study visual arts I started to realise the positive effect visual arts had on my mental health, and looked at visual arts as a healthy coping mechanism.
When I began my Masters, I struggled with what to research for my thesis. The questions “what should I make art about? What should I read about? What should I write about?” flooded my mind. This led me to think about why I make art, and why I have always made art. The idea of “process” over “final product” piqued my interest. The act of art making is a time for me to meditate and ferment on certain feelings and emotions. Sometimes when I make art, I don’t understand the emotion I am trying to express at first, but through the process I have a more clear idea of what I am feeling, and why I feel this way.
After graduating I decided that along with being a visual artist, I wanted to teach beginner artists and share my insights on the process of art making. I notice that sometimes, students are hesitant to begin an artwork because they are afraid of messing it up or that they won’t be able to make it perfect. I tell my students that the process of creating can be just as important as the end result, and “perfection” is a subjective quality that has no certain appearance or boundary.
As Education Assistant, I am looking forward to learning about the many different art programs Art Windsor-Essex has to offer, and how these programs are organised and carried out. I am also looking forward to working alongside fellow art educators and students in developing art programs and projects, and sharing my insights on the importance of process in visual arts.
