Alanna Ho

One Saturday each month, CAG invites a guest host to lead walkthroughs of our current exhibitions, offering their insights and response to the works on view. In October, we welcome Alanna Ho and Kelsie Grazier to speak on the work of Christine Sun Kim. 

### Accessibility 
ASL interpretation will be provided.

### RSVP
No advance registration required.

### Biographies
With a passion for cultivating play and imagination, Alanna programs interdisciplinary workshops and designs digital educational resources for kids, families and educators. Her sound exploration and new media workshops are rooted in mindfulness, creativity, adventure, activism and community. Alanna has a background in contemporary art, classical music and new music composition. Her work presents pedagogy and play as interconnected experiences; combining the use of new media and the Reggio Emilia approach. Alanna uses a multi-modal approach in S.T.E.A.M education which has been facilitated through galleries and schools. Her vision to make the world a better place frequently aligns with organizations who invest in art and technology programs for young age groups; children must be inspired and empowered to create a better future.

Kelsie Grazier is a visual artist based in Vancouver, BC. With an emphasis on gestural brush strokes and fine lines, Kelsie paints to communicate the complexities of Deaf identity and cultural histories. She studied painting at Emily Carr University of Art and Design, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. She obtained her Masters in Deaf Education at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and focused her research on global perceptions of Deaf identity. It was during this time that Kelsie, born with a mild hearing loss, suddenly became deaf. She returned to her art practice to explore her connection to a linguistic minority culture that is rooted in silence. She recently completed a Remote Research Residency with Arts Assembly and Access Gallery.

A portrait of Alanna Ho and Kelsie Grazier.

thumbnail_saturday session alanna ho kelsie grazier.jpg

saturday session alanna ho kelsie grazier.jpg

Alanna Ho and Kelsie Grazier on Christine Sun Kim

Saturday Session

For our third and final Open Studio with Alanna Ho, Alanna shares a special sound journal activity inspired by Leon Polk Smith’s exhibition *Big Form, Big Space*. Many of Leon Polk Smith’s abstract shapes and colour palettes were inspired by the natural environment of the American Southwest. 

In the video, Alanna demonstrates how you can be inspired by the environment around you through a practice of deep listening—slowing down, listening closely and mapping the sounds around you, from birds and traffic to wind in the trees.

Watch the video to see how Alanna creates her journal out of the provided template. Then start your own journal, capturing the sounds of the world around you, creating a record of marks and shapes representing sounds and experiences that can’t always be described through words.
Gather the materials below at home to get started.

### Materials

- Alanna’s Sound Journal template–download here 
- markers, crayons and/or pencil crayons
- stickers or stamps (optional)
- scissors

This activity is recommended for artists 3 and up. Please ensure adult supervision at all times when working with scissors.


Sound Journal with Alanna Ho

Open Studio

In this installment of Open Studio, Alanna is inspired by both the bold shapes in Leon Polk Smith’s paintings and Nicole Kelly Westman’s shifting images of light and shadow. Watch the video to see how Alanna creates artwork out of music, using markers and found objects to visually capture the experience of sound.

In the video, Alanna will introduce several examples of graphic scores and share tips for making marks and shapes inspired by or representing the music she hears. She’ll also share some sample graphic scores made by elementary school students to get you started.

Once you’ve watched Alanna’s video, grab your materials and large sheet of paper. Alanna recommends setting up your workspace on the floor to give yourself more space. Play *Peter and the Wolf* by Sergei Prokofiev and start creating!

### Materials

- long sheet of paper or multiple pieces taped together in a line
- markers, crayons and/or pencil crayons
- various “loose parts” like twine, beads, buttons, yarn, shells, sticks or fabric

This activity is recommended for artists 3 and up. Please ensure adult supervision at all times when working with small, loose materials.


Graphic Scores with Alanna Ho

For our first Open Studio video with artist Alanna Ho, Alanna leads us in a drawing activity inspired by Nicole Kelly Westman’s exhibition *muddled mirage of memories escaping encapsulation*. Nicole considers light an essential collaborator when making her artworks, often thinking about how light shapes the way we experience a given moment or feeling.

Watch the video and follow along as Alanna traces the shapes cast by light shining through a jar filled with water. She’ll share tips and tricks for tracing light and shadows, creating layered artworks with markers and tracing paper. 

### Materials

- tracing paper 
- markers 
- glass jar (jam jar, mason jar, etc.)
- 2 tea lights or small, low candles. A battery powered candle works well too. 
- small household objects; small toys, stationery objects etc. 
- flashlight or flashlight on phone 

This activity is recommended for artists 4 and up. Please ensure adult supervision at all times when working with lit candles and permanent markers. 


Alanna Ho

Talks & Events