The project brings 14 young people aged 10 to 14 from the Jane and Finch Boys and Girls Club to York’s Keele campus for six weeks of workshops. The students are working collaboratively in two teams to supe up and trick out a collection of everyday power tools such as drills and belt sanders, transforming them into customized AC-powered rides.

The project culminates in the Power Tool Drag Race Grand Prix taking place May 25 in the parking lot of the Yorkgate Mall. The public is invited to join the teams in cheering on their dragsters as they navigate the challenging race circuit – a specially constructed 50-foot wooden ramp. In keeping with a sport known for amp-cranking velocity and style, awards will be given for speed, crowd hype and ride appeal.

Following the race, the students will present an exhibition of their dragsters, concept/design drawings, the official track and Power Tool Drag Racing handbooks at Ms. Lube, an all-female automotive service centre on Bathurst Street.

The weekly workshops started April 13 and continue to May 18 in the sculpture studio in York’s Faculty of Fine Arts. Lead instructors are Professor Brandon Vickerd, a sculptor and installation artist, and Toronto-based sculptor Mike Murphy. They are guiding the youth in all aspects of the project, from shop safety protocols and design strategies to racer construction, testing and problem-solving. Trades professionals have been invited to visit the studio to share their expertise in everything from power tool operation tips to airbrushing techniques.

“As high school tech training and home economics departments decline, it’s more important than ever to underscore the benefits of tactile learning experiences, and art is a great way to do that,” said Vickerd. “While they’re learning to handle the kinds of power tools found in many homes and workplaces, the young people in these workshops are also exercising their creativity and driving the traditions of mixed media and kinetic sculpture in new directions.”

Vickerd’s own artistic practice bridges high art, technology and popular culture, drawing influences from such diverse subjects as heavy metal music and comic books. Among his recent works was Dance of the Cranes, a performance piece commissioned for Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2009 that featured a 13-minute choreographed ‘dance’ performed by two high-rise construction cranes.

Steven Laurie, the AGYU’s interim education and collections assistant, is the mastermind behind the project. A sculptor and performance artist fascinated with ‘hyper-masculinity’, whose work often features some combination of burning rubber, engine revving and stereo thumping, he conceived of power tool drag racing as the perfect vehicle to engage local youth.

In devising the project, Laurie built on the success of his previous community outreach project integrating arts and science: a hands-on educational resource program he developed to enhance students’ experience of his 2008 solo show Art of the Motor at Whitby’s Station Gallery. This new project extends both the concept and the community connections.

“By taking power tools outside of their usual context, we want to demonstrate how creative and challenging careers in the skilled trades can be,” Laurie said. “It’s a hands-on, fun project that has some serious skills development behind it, from physics and engineering to business, marketing and contemporary art. And having professional tradespeople and artists on site to give presentations about their work and the tools they use, helps the students connect the dots between the power tool project and potential career choices.”

York University partners include the York/TD Community Engagement Centre, the Community Arts Practice program, the Office of University Events & Community Relations and Campus Services and Business Operations. Community partners in the power tool drag racing project include the Black Creek Community Capacity Building Project, Elements and Promoting Economic Action and Community Health (PEACH). Partners from the trades and business include Joey and Mike Fernandez, owners and operators of Daredevil Customs; Ms. Lube owner Jessica Gilbank; mechanical engineer Colin Harry; independent contractor Paul Horrigan; and teacher and trades professional Bill Thorne.

The Faculty of Fine Arts at York University is one of North American’s leading centres for fine arts education. The only program of its kind in Ontario, it brings together a community of more than 3,400 undergraduate and graduate students and 250 full-time and part-time faculty working in all areas of fine arts practice and scholarship.

The Art Gallery of York University is a university-affiliated public non-profit contemporary art gallery supported by York University, The Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, and its membership.

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Power Tool Drag Racing

Public Events:

• Grand Prix: Tuesday, May 25 |  4:30 pm Test trials | 5pm Qualifiers | 6pm Awards

In the north end of the parking lot of Yorkgate Mall, located at the NW corner of Jane Street and Finch Avenue.

• Exhibition of dragsters, design and production journals
  Ms.Lube (upstairs), 499 Bathurst St. at College

Dates: June 4 to 17
Opening: Friday June 4 at 6:30pm
Hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm

Media Contacts:

Amy Stewart, Faculty of Fine Arts, York University, 416.650.8469 | amy.stewart@yorku.ca

Steven Laurie, Art Gallery of York University, 416.736.2100 ext 88608 | stevl@yorku.ca