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INUVIK
East 3 Secondary School's Art Travel Club is heading for jolly old England in March for a little art appreciation and cultural exposure one just can't get in the Arctic.

Petra Jellema, left, holds up a heartfelt piece of art with fine arts teacher Alexie Winchester during a recent event at East 3. - T. Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo

For weeks, they've been fundraising with the same manic energy on display in a Picasso painting, and that's not about to stop for approximately a month.

The club is the brainchild of teacher Alexie Winchester.

"I started the club last year around March or April," she told Inuvik Drum in a recent interview. "It's open to students studying art and interested in art in grades 11 and 12."

Ten students signed up for the club, Winchester said, all of whom have an "interest in art in general."

It's requiring a huge amount of fundraising and organizing to assemble the trip, she said, in particular, the paperwork required for the 10 students in terms of proper identification and official permission forms.

"It's a huge undertaking," she said. "We looked at numerous locations, but settled on England for a variety of reasons."

Initially, the club was considering Italy and France, which Winchester has visited and was familiar with. Due to her travels, though, she knew the students wouldn't be exposed to as great a selection of art from different periods and in different styles as they would in England.

She also was concerned with the logistics of the students juggling language difficulties as well.

"London is a great hub of all kinds of art," she said. "And we factored in that they speak English for comfort.

"This is our first trip with a group, so we're being a bit cautious and careful and starting small."

The club is trying to raise $55,000 to $60,000 for the trip. It has several more fundraisers on the go, including a "Big Mac" day and selling heart-shaped pizzas for Valentine's, similar to a campaign conducted by Boston Pizza.

"Ours might not look as pretty as theirs but they'll be made with more love."

The club is currently about $8,000 short of its goal, but Winchester said she's confident the goal will be met.

The trip leaves March 27, with the students flying to Pearson International Airport in Toronto and then on to England. On the way back, they're taking a direct flight from London to Edmonton.

"That'll be a long flight," Winchester said.

"We've all been in Ms. Winchester's art classes since we were young," said Grade 11 student Christian Van Pelt. "And we all have a common interest in art. It's a really diverse group."

"We've made quite a bit of money and we've been quite successful. I would say, though, it's a lot more work than it seems to travel halfway across the world with 10 students and three teachers. We have to be quite dedicated."

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