Wasagaming Community Arts celebrates milestones

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This article was published 11/07/2019 (2507 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It will be a festive two years at Wasagaming Community Art as the non-profit celebrates its 40th year of incorporation and 50th anniversary in 2020.

The organization is planning a series of parties to commemorate the milestone events, Wasagaming Community Arts president Judy Dandridge said, adding that

“We’ve undertaken two years of celebrations,” she said.

The festivities began with a party at Sporty’s Eatery in Onanole on June 21 and will continue throughout the next two years.

A trivia night is planned for July 20. Teams can register and bust out their knowledge on the history of the gallery, the townsite, Riding Mountain National Park and the biosphere in the area.

The gallery is always grateful for the support from the townsite, Dandridge said.

“We have a really dynamic board, (they’re) very committed, and we have some good volunteers,” Dandridge said.

In honour of next year’s 50th, the gallery will feature an exhibit that is a walk down memory lane for patrons. The exhibit will be one of six and will bring in pieces from artists who took classes, were part of a club or exhibited in the past.

“It will be a real anniversary centrepiece for the 50th,” Dandridge said.

There are four more exhibitions planned for this year, she added.

“I like to think those are pretty special as well,” Dandridge said.

The next exhibition will feature works by Lanré Buraimoh, Forouzandeh Kasrai, Kay Chapman and Allan Tataryn.

The board will be bringing back some of the past mainstays of the gallery for 2020 — this will include the popular craft sale Rawhide and Jelly Roles and the Fire and Fibre pottery and fibre work retreat.

Work on the 50th anniversary extravaganza began this year. The gallery will have their first pottery class in about 15 years in August and is working to refurbishing their pottery equipment and kiln.

“We’re bringing back some of the old favourites,” Dandridge said.

Wasagaming Community Arts was started in 1970 by Edythe Holden. The group spent their first summer in Onanole and later moved into the park.

Their mandate from the start has been to serve and engage the residents in the area and the visitors to Riding Mountain National Park by making art accessible through regular exhibits and education to foster creativity.

“That’s something that I would like to say we are still pursuing today,” Dandridge said. “That was the mainstay all around — it’s a place for artists, artisans and visitors … we strive to meet the needs of a diverse population.”

The most challenging aspect is that many people do not realize that art and the gallery can be fun, she said. One can take in the exciting exhibitions, and on opening nights speak with artists or attend one of the many activities and classes offered by Wasagaming Community Arts, she said.

Dandridge’s favourite part of the centre is when an artist or artisan brings their work to the gallery to exhibit or share for sale in the gift boutique.

Unboxing a package that contains a carefully crafted piece of art always feels like Christmas morning, she said.

“Seeing the piece or pieces instead of picture representation, it’s like the artist has shared a piece of themselves,” Dandridge said.

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