Meet Bob Barton
The History of Bob Barton
Bob was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. Bob credits his lifelong appreciation of the arts with three individuals in particular,
His grade three teacher, Miss Horne, was an oral storyteller whose repertoire included the Norse Myths and sagas of the Vikings. Bob recalls being taken on amazing journeys as she sat hunched over on the edge of her desk holding her class enthralled.
Madeleine Francis, a Hamilton artist who taught Saturday classes at the original Hamilton Art Gallery near Main and James Streets was also influential. Bob says, “We children would sit on highly polished hardwood floors with large sheets of sugar paper, tins of watercolor paints and jars of different sized brushes spread in front of us. Madeleine Francis would put on some music to stimulate our imaginations and encourage us to paint whatever images floated into our minds. It was so liberating, soothing and exciting. To resist highly structured activities with predictable outcomes was bold teaching in the 1940’s.
The gift of poetry came courtesy of William H. Moore who was Supervisor of Oral English when Bob met him as a young teacher. Bob says, “The Hamilton Board of Education must have been the only jurisdiction in North America with a supervisor of oral English. Imagine! In those few precious years before Bill was promoted to Coordinator of English, he taught those of us who appreciated his talents enough magic to see us through our careers and beyond.”
Bob Barton, The Storyteller
Since his first appearance at Artpark, Lewiston, New York in 1979, Bob has been featured in many storytelling festivals including:
Rockport, Maine (North Atlantic Festival); Toronto; Greyslake, Illinois; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Fredericton, New Brunswick (Storyfest); Seattle, Washington; London, Ontario (International Children’s Festival); Detroit, Michigan (Great Lakes International Festival ’87 and Storytelling ’92); Victoria, Australia (Dromkeen Centre for Children’s Literature); Minnesota (Stories from the Heartland); St. Catherines, Ontario (Magic Fire); Jackson, Michigan (Storyfest); Maui, Hawaii (World Conference on Reading); London, England (Battersea Arts Centre); Okalahoma City (Wintertales ’95); Jonesborough, Tennessee (National Storytelling Festival); Mansfield, PA’96 and 2001; Hobart, Tasmania ’98; Montreal Intercultural ’99; Storyfest, Brockville 2000; Hand and Heart Festival, Kitchener 2002.
Bob partnered with fellow storyteller Cathy Miyata to write, produce and perform in Mouth Music The Poetry Show and Rap, Rhythm and Rhyme. Both shows toured Ontario schools under the auspices of Prologue To The Performing Arts for five years.
Bob also made thirty consecutive appearances as a storyteller at the Hans Christian Andersen Storyhour in Central Park, New York.
Bob has conducted storytelling courses for The Storytellers School of Toronto; The National Storytelling Institute, Jonesborough, Tennessee; Emerson College, East Sussex, England; Exeter University, Devon, England; The Centre for Language in Primary Education, London, England. The Centre for Language in Primary Education produced a video of Bob’s work.in 1996.
He is a founding member of The Storytelling School of Toronto and Storytellers of Canada.
He also served on the Board of Directors of the National Storytelling Association (U.S.A.).
Bob Barton, The Arts Educator
During the mid nineteen sixties, Bob helped pioneer drama courses in the secondary schools. Those early courses launched in Hamilton, Toronto and Kingston, Ontario eventually led to the development of the first guideline for Dramatic Arts in Ontario Secondary Schools.
After this, Bob worked as a consultant in Language Arts and Drama for the Hamilton and North York Boards of Education and eventually as an Education Officer for the Ontario Ministry of Education. During his years at the Ministry, he chaired committees that developed the documents, Drama in the Formative Years; Growing With Books; The Arts Discussion and Arts Action Papers. He chaired the Ministry Arts Group and the Dance in Education Committee.
Bob left the Ministry of Education in 1989 to freelance as an Education Consultant Drama Instructor, Oral Storyteller and Writer.
After a career as a schoolteacher (elementary/secondary) English and Drama consultant and Arts Coordinator, Bob worked in teacher education (Ontario Teacher Education College and Faculty of Education, University of Toronto) and as an education officer with the Ontario Ministry of Education. During that time, he pursued a keen interest in children’s literature, early literacy and drama in education. He was an instructor in Dramatic Arts for OISE / UT with the Initial Teacher Education Program and the (Additional Qualifications/Dramatic Arts Intermediate Basic). Bob also conducted teacher workshops at The Stratford Festival of Canada for several years.
Bob hosted several C.B.C. Radio Schools’ series for children and was a feature presenter at International Reading Association Conferences in Chicago, Anaheim, New Orleans, San Antonio, Toronto and Orlando as well as a presenter at many children’s literature conferences and courses including: Lindenwood College, Missouri; Northern Montana College; Ohio State University; Nipissing University, North Bay; University of Southern Maine; Eastern Michigan University; Syracuse University and the University of British Columbia. In 1994 he gave the Ronald M. Hubbs and Margaret S. Hubbs Lecture at St. Thomas University, St. Paul, Minnesota (A Peaceable Kingdom: Conflict Resolution and the role of stories); and was a feature author at the Mazza Collection Summer Institute (Children’s Picture Books: Windows On The World); The University of Findley, Ohio.
He has been a feature presenter at The Council of Europe, Donaueschingen, Germany; The Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.; The Centre for Language In Primary Education, London, England; Young People’s Theatre, Toronto; the First International Reading Conference in Melbourne, Australia, Kaleidoscope ’92, Calgary, Alberta; the Canadian Images, Winnipeg ’98 and Canadian Reading Recovery Conference, Toronto 2000. Bob was Artist Leader (theatre 96-97) with the Ontario Arts Education Institute. He has also participated as a teaching artist with The Canadian Opera Company’s Create An Opera Program in Ontario Schools and with Learning Through the Arts, The Royal Conservatory of Music.
Notes of Distinction
2012 - Lifetime member of Storytellers of Canada, in recognition of his contributions to storytelling
2007 - Award of Excellence in Continuing Education by OISE - University of Toronto
2002 - Lifetime Achievement Award, Royal Conservatory of Music
2000 - 1st Recipient of the National Symposium on Arts Education Award, for innovation and advocacy in Arts Education in recognition of his contribution both as an artist and an educator
1990 - Jennie Mitchell Celebrate Literacy Award, for work in literacy
1985 - Ginn Reading Award, for work in literacy
1989 - Fabian Lemieux Award for contributions to Arts Education in Ontario
1981 - Lifetime member of the Council of Drama in Education, in recognition for his work in drama education
