Founders Shelley Batcules and Jim Torma believe
"ART is the root of SMART"
and creativity is the basis of an exciting and fulfilling quality of life - both emotionally and intellectually. They have worked towards developing out-of-the-box, alternative ideas, methods and sources for the SMART SCKOOL workshops and courses.
"It's scKOOL to be SMART"
In today’s complex social, political, religious and economic climate, reinvention is of paramount importance. We are dedicated to empowering people by teaching them to view adversity as an opportunity to grow, help get people out of isolation and welcome them into a positive atmosphere with strong community spirit. Being in a place that highlights a “good news attitude” as opposed to the constant “bad news” we face daily in the media inspires people to think more optimistically, embrace their potential and activate their ability to think positively about the future. Positive thinking results in prosperity on all levels.
Our primary goal is the development and implementation of innovative and accessible educational opportunities to help guide people to recognize and utilize the immense power of art, culture and creativity in their life and learn how to nurture the creative process as a major step forward in the development of critical thinking to be used in all areas of life – mentally and physically.
Success is measured by a person’s ability to use creative thinking as the power tool for innovation and reinvention in any professional field or personal endeavor.
Leading by example
through positive partnership and mutual passion are crucial elements behind the
SMART SCKOOL vision
Personal experiences, be that accomplishments or adversities, have stimulated our goal to invest our mental and physical energy into people who want to be active contributors in society, but often struggle to find opportunities that help them achieve their goals.
Strong relationships are built spending quality time together in both work and play. Since 1988, we have “always worked together as a couple” in various roles and capacities and applied our combined personal and professional knowledge to develop out-of-the-box ideas and use them to build creative, cooperative communities.
SMART SCKOOL
leads by the tenets “Love, Compassion & Respect”.
AGO Art Gallery of Ontario /
SMART SCKOOL Community Access Program
In January 2009 SMART SCKOOL became a Community Access Partner with the AGO, Art Gallery of Ontario, and in 2010 became a full member. This partnership enables participants of the Community Arts Group visit a major art gallery that would otherwise not be possible due to issues surrounding mental health and financial challenges.
Participants have experienced many profound benefits learning art, art history and architecture in such an awesome and inspiring environment. For many people the opportunity to visit the AGO represents their first chance to visit a major art gallery, see the great masters, hear discussions about the history of art and learn how to draw within the gallery setting.
The Therapeutic Impact of the AGO Art Gallery of Ontario
The AGO Community Access Partnership represents a major resource for the public, and for our “ART as Therapy” program. The myriad of changes both large and small that our participants have undergone is profound and the experiences have stimulated them to reach out for much more in their lives.
Mental Health professionals have noted the positive impact SMART SCKOOL Community Art Group has on their clients. It breaks them free from the bonds of isolation, gets them out into the public, gives them a chance to contemplate, and be stimulated by creativity without any pressure to personally produce. The exploration of art develops the skill to see, in turn offering people opportunities to see the world more clearly, see the value in themselves by having a chance to be a part of a prestigious place they would otherwise feel unwelcome or uncomfortable in, and recognize they can change their future that’s different from where they are.
We attend the AGO for more than just recreation. Learning to draw at the AGO is a special opportunity for participants. SMART SCKOOL co-founder Shelley Batcules discusses art history, subject matter, styles, techniques and expressive qualities in each piece while teaching participants to draw. The experience stimulates people to explore latent abilities and be more fearless about embracing their personal creative potential. Special AGO staff members contribute a sense of being welcome and encourage social interaction while we draw.
Click to visit the ago
To Whom It May Concern:
The Art Gallery of Ontario has had the pleasure of working with Jim Torma and Shelley Batcules the co-founders of smART scKOOL. For the past two years Jim and Shelley have been great ambassadors for the AGO, bringing groups of marginalized individuals and mental health survivors to explore our collections and sketch in the galleries. We have been very pleased by the feedback from these visitors, who have taken great time and effort to express the pleasure they get from visiting our art museum and the impact it makes on their lives.
I am certain that most, if not all, of these individuals would never have crossed our threshold if it were not for Jim and Shelley’s gentle guidance and encouragement. Jim and Shelley consistently break down the “shell” that art museums may have for individuals who are struggling in our community and they open up the art museum experience for them to enjoy and learn in.
We hope that Jim and Shelley continue to bring their groups to the AGO on a regular basis and introduce all the benefits an art museum can offer to all members of our community.
Beverley Carret
Manager, Government and Community Relations, Art Gallery of Ontario
Community Action Network/
smART scKOOL Community Arts Collective
POV: Points Of View on Poverty:
“Two Sides of the Coin & the Great Misconception”
A Community based Art Program presented by Community Action Network - Community Arts Collective, Jim and Shelley co-founders of smART scKOOL and Daily Bread Food Bank fighting Poverty and Homelessness.
“POV: Points Of View on Poverty; Two Sides of the Coin” is a community based art program which offers participants opportunities to explore creativity in a safe environment, feel the therapeutic benefits inherent in the act of creation and learn to express their feelings and circumstances using art as language.
People among us who are marginalized by poverty and hunger come from all walks of life. Many speak what we think of as our own language. Despite grammatical, syntactic, and vocabulary similarities, people who are poor are often not heard by those in power, something akin to speaking a different language, from being from ‘somewhere else’. Indeed, many of the folks who rely on food banks were born outside of Canada.
This fact reflects the fact that Canada is a poly-cultural mosaic and although this diversity contributes to the richness of our country it also poses challenges to people trying to acclimatize and adapt to a new home. Newcomers often find it a challenge to fit into the community due to language among other kinds of systemic barriers that prevent them from moving forward in their lives.
Art is the universal language that transcends the boundaries of written language.
For millennia, people have communicated with images and symbols as a form of dialogue since ancient times when hieroglyphs and wall paintings were the principal source of communication.
The principal goal of the Community Arts Collective is to empower people who are confronting poverty in their own lives by using the visual as their voice to express their personal experiences around their struggles, their stories. This endeavour is undertaken in a safe environment free of the fear of having to verbally speak.
The group will create projects incorporating titles which inform and clarify viewers about contemporary views and attitudes surrounding poverty and homelessness.
The creation of the thesis artworks involves the production of two large scale collaborative artworks from two distinct perspectives (the haves and have not’s) which serve as the visual thesis, focal point and catalyst of the art program along with individual pieces of each artist and their final group exhibition.
The goal is to emphasize that everyone has creativity in them; it is just a matter of building the security to bring it out and celebrate it! SMART SCKOOL courses are designed to emphasize inclusion of all ages, skills, and economic levels, and promote the cross-pollination of ideas between people experiencing different backgrounds and circumstances.
The founders feel it is very important that people have equal opportunity and accessibility to quality education and entertainment, therefore the SMART SCKOOL is built on a format that makes learning fun and stimulating, while offering the valuable opportunity to spend a higher quality of time with loved ones and ourselves leading to a much higher retention of information rate because of the positive learning climate that has been created. Courses and workshops will be added on an ongoing basis as new guides and businesses come on-line.
The roles of the SMART GUIDES and SMART THERAPY GUIDES are to inspire thought, contemplation, passion and discussion between people to help them to live and learn. Guides are chosen for their incredible backgrounds, ability to be open minded, their distinct artistic abilities, and their dedication to knowledge and a great quality of life.
The SMART GUIDES and SMART THERAPY GUIDES have spent years of sacrifice studying their areas of focus and expertise with the goal and commitment to help and enhance people and their lives. They have chosen a path that we can only be proud of and respect. As founders of the SMART SCKOOL we are thankful that we have such extremely gifted individuals teaching our students at the SMART SCKOOL.
