A message from Adele

Artists Amazing!

Each time I visit the blog I am brought to tears because of the warmth and support that comes from each and every piece.  
Whether a joke, a dance, a song, a poem, an image, 

each brings a joy 

that raises me up 

from dark places that can smother your spirit.  

How can I begin to thank you for such a gift?

Adele

love letter for adele

Images selected and assembled with love for you adele

this is for your smile, the way you wear your fancy coat

the way you stand up, the way your eyes shine

brighter still when you speak

this is for the way you walk

and for all

that you 

are. 

M.

A Tree of Life

Adele, you observed my first Music Champion class at Stilecroft Elementary, and I will never forget the kindness you showed me, and the gentle mentorship you offered me.  In making this and gathering with other colleagues from the RCM, I was deeply aware that we are the branches of a community you helped to plant, one that continues to grow and thrive.  Thank you Adele for gifting us with everything you are as a person, and everything that you have helped us all to achieve.

- peace and love, Carlie

HI Adele, i'm so happy to be able to connect with you and am sending lots of love and light your way. My friend and fellow musician Rosemary Phelan has a beautiful collection of poetry called every little thing, and this is one of my favourite pieces from it. I've paired it with a track from my second CD called The Pouting Porch, which is all about taking oneself out of the regular madness of life to find a quiet place of peace and rejuvenation, in effect, calling your spirit back. May your spirit and song, which inspire so many of us, continue to ring out. Love, abby 

call your spirit back

in the pale, hopeful light

after a night devoid of stars

the voice of my dis-ease

whispers to me

listen!

there's a song everyone's born with

not the same song, but everyone's got one

some people slide right out yelling their song

they hear it from the very beginning and know it's wrong

if someone tries to stop them from singing it

other people,

it takes them time to find their song

maybe they realize it was there all along

but it's too far gone and they have to call it back

say they're sorry and promise with clear and starry eyes

never to forget

their song

belongs to them

some people sing their song but not for long

'cause someone steals it and deals it for cheap protection

or some other warped thing

and it ceases to ring

and when your song's been taken you're shaken and you can't feel,

nothing's real

the world is full of the walking dead

hearts with no songs

heads 

full

of wants

don't be one of the haunted

call back your song

it's too high a price to pay

it's your voice, it's your spirit

it lives to be shared

it's a light, it's a flare for the direst emergencies

it's a bright shield against life's dangerous insurgencies

it's the promise in the sunrise,

the realness on the inside

of you

and of everything

call your spirit back

call your spirit back

call your spirit back

and never, ever

go anywhere without it again

The song: https://drive.google.com/drive/#my-drive

Dear Adele, Thinking of you and sending you hugs,and lots of love wrapped up in the energy and wonder of spring. Love Julia Pal

Waterfall shimmers
Sunlight dances in the mist
Crystal songs glisten

Adele,
To you. To honour your journey and your light.

Love,
Catherine Mellinger

Come Back to the Sea (Song for Adele)

When I was asked to contribute something to this blog, this song came pouring out of me. I hope you all enjoy it.

Adele, I hope the sea is a place you enjoy, and that this song may in some way help you to imagine being there, relishing the sights and sounds, and evoking some fond memories.


Take care, and thanks to everyone who has contributed and put together this blog - I love being a member of this amazing community!

Rufus (aka kashakaman)

Come Back to the Sea (Song for Adele)

a dance about love or...

Hi Adele,
I made this little hand dance at the Art for Adele crafts night. I think it shares a little story of love. For anybody else reading this, what do you think it shares? Please post a comment below. I'd love to hear from you.
Hugs,
Nicole

A fold-out postcard from Thorncliffe and Leaside

Hi Adele,
Because of what you said last time I saw you, I am thinking about how to connect my Leaside school with the nearby but immensely different and more colourful world of Thorncliffe. Some pictures from the two worlds:

Thorncliffe

Here is a warmup exercise we created, sharing what we are grateful for. I love this even though it was a casual 10-minute piece. Later we painted flowing silk banners with imagery expressing gratitude and thanksgiving in a mixture of Bangladeshi fabric motifs, Urdu, Tagalog, Arabic and English lettering.

Manzu and I papier-macheing a prop tree.

Here is the Festival of Story group, ready to perform their personal stories . They are all so elegant! Behind us, see the tree under which everyone told their stories and performed.

Here is artwork by the participants, relating their personal stories in visual form.

Here I am building an embroidery table for the kindergarten students at my school.
(Beyond me is my dad's piano body which he is using as a vibrating amp to play back music generated by his aeolian harp. Did I ever mention that he is an artist/scientist, and high tech inventor?)

Leaside:

Here are the students embroidering. They love this activity and the table is always set up in a classroom these days. There are four year olds in that group who figured out on their own how to create sophisticated patterns. I wish I could show their lovely faces too, but not online.

This postcard is the beginning of a thought which you catalyzed in our last conversation. How to bring these two worlds together? While Leaside has the money, Thorncliffe has the cultural wealth.

Sustenance

                                                                 "Sustenance" by Ann Patteson

                      Dear Adele,

I wish you daily sustenance and peace on this present journey.

                                                        With affection and respect,

                                                    Ann Patteson

Adele, like a rose

                      

                                                              Julia Arnold

Hi Adele,

Here's a graphic put together by Sasha. I look forward to our next coffee and tea!

Best  wishes always,

Lies 

A Message from Adele

My sincerest thanks to all of you for connecting me to your talent, creativity and supportive wishes.  I have been missing my work with artists and the  powerful  impact  you have on teachers and  children.  This blog allows me to reflect on our times together and appreciate your passion for your art and the gift that it provides us all.  

Thank you so much.  

It is truly uplifting.

Adele

Hi Adele,

Well I'm kinda a retired person now so I haven't much in the way of school art to share. And my focus has shifted away from puppets and back to music.

However........ I think I'm becoming a poster child for retired persons who take MOOCs. Back in 2012 an enabler on Facebook posted "free university courses available on coursera". So I like a fool checked it out and took a nice itty bitty course on World Music.  It proved to be a gateway drug.  In 2012 I took just 1 course.  In 2013 just 2.  In 2014 it jumped to 8. Frankly 2015 is beginning to scare me.

All but one of these courses involve music and I've even taken 'How to Write Like Mozart' twice. So I'm posting a piece I've written that I hope will cheer you up. I want you to know no delicate human fingers have been damaged in the playing of this piece although my computer may have cowered a little when one of my files from program 'A' did not play nice with program 'B'.  I know Adele, computer files that screw up.  I assure you that I am as shocked as you must be.  

 https://soundcloud.com/pat2013-1/cycle-of-fifths-with-snare/s-hZ1Ct


P.S. All the puppets send their love too! (They also say why don't I get a decent video camera and an editing program so they can say 'take care' in person but you know puppets - snark, snark, snark!)

Dear Adele,
 Last week  I came across 'Kite Runner' the book and I thought of the very first time I was introduced to you... my interview for LTTA... you had just seen the movie and began with a conversation about the story and its location to ensure I was at ease...  I later understood it was your classic, signature way... to make people welcome. 
Sharing this poem by Rumi that is part of the film as well.

Spring Sunshine

This morning I woke up to sunshine and the sounds of the birds making a joyful racket in the tree outside my window, it made me smile to hear them chattering about the change in the weather because it reminded me of the times we all got together at the RCM and had such a happy chatter. 
We are planting seeds and potting up dahlia tubers this weekend and I am setting aside a few with your name on them...so I am opening the invitation again for you to come for a stroll in the garden and we can chatter like we have done at past PD's and sip cool drinks under the maple trees. 
I will send you pictures of your flowers as they grow and bloom. 

Hugs Laurie 
ps This watercolour is done with an IPhone app, a friend Diana rode over last year and filled her bike basket with flowers.

Breaking Waves

Breaking waves on the sea of time.

Splashing through the broiling waters,

rising and falling with the swells.

Steadying ourselves

on our tip toes,

to catch a glimmer

of the golden island

 on the horizon: 

love and understanding.

Such a long way to get there

but definitely worth the journey.

Wishing you steady winds and calm waters, 

John           

Art Making Gathering for Adele

We had a marvelous time sharing 

stories and creativity this evening 

as we made Art for Adele. 

Thanks to all who were able 

to join us. We welcome everyone 

to continue posting your 

"art hellos" to Adele.

Message for Adele from Gerhard Maynard

Adele,

I want to let you know I am thinking about you and I am championing you from the Wet Coast--:) I think of the time that I spent with you when I was in Toronto. It was often brief and we had many meetings but I wanted to share a few things that never left me about the time we spent together and the interactions we had.

You have a lovely and amazing grace about you which just permeates through your interactions with others. I found myself thinking that whether it was a school that was lucky enough to work with you, a new teacher, a child, an artist--they were truly lucky human beings to have crossed paths with you. Your smile is infectious, your love of teaching and learning is clear, and you truly have a passion that ignites us. It was so lovely to see you at the Summer concert on Sue's balcony.

Each of us is formed and shaped by the experiences that we have with others. The kindness we receive, the compassion we are given, the space to learn and grow, and the gentle guidance of someone who truly cares--thank you for that gift that you continue to give. As you are being cared for and surrounded by friends and family I want to remind you of all the wings that you have given to us---to artists, children, your colleagues and I hope you in turn feel supported by our strength and love.

Big hugs from across the mountains,

Gerhard Maynard

Inspired by jokes

Great joke Paula!
I honour your playfulness with another joke.

A man bought a very special and expensive parrot. The parrot could speak in three different languages! He gave this fancy parrot to his parents as a gift. A week later he called his parents to see if they liked the parrot. 
"Oh yes," they said, "we liked him very much. He was delicious." 
"What!" said the man. "You ate that parrot! Didn't you know that this was a very special and expensive parrot who could speak three different languages?"
"Well!" said his parents, "If he knew so many languages, why didn't he speak up and say something before we cooked him?!"

Hope this makes you smile today Adele.

Hugs from Nicole

Dear Adele,

I felt the most important thing I could contribute to this site was a joke. So here is a joke for you, short and sweet:

Where can you find a dog with no legs?

Right where you left him. He hasn't moved. He's not going anywhere.

with hugs.
Paula

Hi Adele,

It's been a deep pleasure to work with you in LTTA, and see your love and dedication to students, teachers, and the arts.  I am sending you warm and caring thoughts.  All the best, Ellen
Here is a Haiku I wrote for you:

shining like spring sunlight
in a darkened world, the light
of art brightens our hearts.
(esj)

And here is a poem I love and find helpful and healing, "Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver.

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes, 

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, 

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting  

over and over announcing your place 

in the family of things.

Oceans of Light

We are eternal beings

A Song from David (Nicole's Dad):

https://soundcloud.com/david-fougere/oceans-of-light-mix

 

Sister Agnes and Sister Doreen

by Kate Hyde and Thomas Aitken- December 2014

Sister Agnes and Sister Doreen sing through their noses but nevertheless their message of good will and best fortune are deeply sincere.

My very best wishes,

Bob Barton

Dinosaur Patterning for Two Year Olds

Dear Adele,
I teach wee ones at the RCM on Saturdays. We have been experimenting with a multidisciplinary program for ECE. Here are some pics of my forays into teaching patterning through visual art to two year olds. We are playing with hand made play dough and exploring making dino footprints and other patterns. I love, and know you do too, how little people jump into story journeys so readily. They are always making characters and connections and scenarios in their free play. Even though my teacher brain was thinking about teaching patterns, the children took that free play to a whole new place. You can imagine some of their stories through these pictures. Enjoy!
Nicole

Dear Adele,
I snapped this just last month in Montevideo Uruguay! The city holds much beauty-
much humanity and ease. This picture reminds me of the young at heart - of all the
people in my life who remember and share gifts. You are a gift to me to so many people.
XOXO from Michelle

sharing stories

Hello Adele
I thought I would share this comic with you. It was made with a few very nice friends, at my monthly comics jam. We start with pages containing 6 empty panels and everyone makes a picture in panel 1. On this one, I drew my friend and I, with her daughter, at the Jean-Michel Basquiat show at the AGO. Then everyone passes their page to the next person in the circle, and we all draw panel 2. We keep going until the pages, and the stories, are complete. Then we share, and find out what happened in all the stories we worked on together. I know you will appreciate this collaborative art-making process, as well as this particular story about children and art galleries!
Soon time for tea in Consecon.
xo Martha

A dance for Adele starts in the garden and waltzes in my heart.
I made this head dress out of a favorite branch...the red amaranth reminds me of you - your beauty - your profound wisdom.
Sending you joy and love,
Michelle

A "Blogged Bouquet", for a Beautiful Lady

Sending hugs and floral smiles ! 

Stones of Reflection

On my desk are several stones 

from kairn building activities

that I have done with LTTA artists

near and far. These are a few that 

I thought I would share with you 

today. I hope that they provide 

some inspiration and 

reflection as they have for me. 

Ah Spring, please hurry...

This first day of March makes me crave the coming season. Birds, blossoms and all the fresh newness.
This sculpture entitled "Pond Goddess" pays homage to the beauty of spring and all its abundance.
I hope Adele you get out to the county soon and we can meet up perhaps,

and search around for those first signs and sigh together.  Hugs, Andrea