'Starving Artists' no more

A Northern Ontario school teaches students how to avoid the old cliche

The White Mountain Academy of the Arts, located in Elliot Lake, Ont. is unusual because it teaches artists to make money.

Located half way between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, just off the north shore of Lake Huron, its isolation helps develop artists says, Nikoline Calcaterra, the school's resource development coordinator.

When Calcaterra was asked what new skills the artists learn she said, "We develop their business skills and they are taught how to make money as artists. Trips to New York, Toronto and Montreal expand their outlook on art…We have students that are Mohawk, Cherokee, Algonquin, Ojibwa and Cree. Students come from as far away as Hong Kong, Florence, Italy and all across Canada. You can't find facilities like this anywhere else."

Calcaterra says the school is special because "we are dealing with very special students. Often a lot of our students have been failed in the traditional education systems. We are able to catch our students before that happens."

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White Mountain Academy of the Arts offers students an innovative alternative to conventional art education. It was established in 1998, incorporating the cultural aspects of First Nation philosophies as an important part of the program.

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The school involves Native elders from the area and across Canada sharing their traditional art forms and belief systems with the students in the various art programs.

Programs vary in length from eight months to two years. White Mountain had its first 10 graduates in May of 2002.

White Mountain Academy is a private school and is a joint effort from community leaders of the area's Anishinaabek people (the North Shore Tribal Council and Serpent River First Nation) and of the City of Elliot Lake. It lacks provincial government support. Calcaterra says, "We do receive funding from Industry Canada through Fed Nor. We've had to search for funding and have received Canadian Heritage fund training that helps develop economic diversity."

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The school's diminutive size-- at present it has eight students-- compared to other art programs has not lowered its standing as a prestigious institution. Last summer the Canada Council for the Arts named it as one of 21 nationally recognized cultural institutions in Canada. Others recognized included the National Ballet and the National Art Gallery.