The 5th annual Artist Retreat will begin on July 22, and the Assiniboia & District Arts Council has planned a number of events to connect with artists through the week.
The week-long retreat begins with a workshop focusing on impressionist painting with Regina artist Belinda Harrow, who has worked with a number of different mediums in her career.
Later that evening will be a welcoming reception at the Shurniak Art Gallery, featuring a chance to meet and mingle with the 27 artists taking part in this year’s retreat. Most of the works featured in the reception will be pieces of work to demonstrate each artist’s recent work.
One of the retreat’s organizers, Crystal Thorburn, is excited to see the artists and community members gather for a sample of the artwork that will permeate the rest of the retreat.
Artists of all types are welcome to register, from visual arts, sculptors, poets, musicians, and so on. The self-directed retreat has a number of shows planned for the artists, but really the idea is to spend time focusing on art, without anything else to worry about for a week.
It’s also a chance to interact with other artists, Thorburn noted, and even pursue some spontaneous collaborations.
“Being an artist can be rather isolated at times because you're working on your own thing,” said Thorburn. “This way, you get a chance to expand some of your knowledge and make new friends, learn new things.”
Harrow will also be the adjudicator for the Art Show opening to the public on July 24 at the Assiniboia Library. Five pieces from each artist who entered will be privately critiqued and discussed on July 23, and then displayed for the next two days in the gallery.
This is the first year in a while that the retreat has had an adjudicated art show, and Thorburn is excited about the opportunity it presents.
One artist from the show’s entries will be selected to put their work forward for one of the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Council’s traveling exhibitions, which is an exciting opportunity.
“It's a wonderful opportunity, and you learn a lot,” said Thorburn. “It's wonderful to get that kind of professional feedback, from a professional artist, to give you some constructive criticism on your art.”
Concluding the week will be an open house on July 25, showcasing the pieces each artist worked on during the week — some of which will be for sale to the public.
Arranged in the Curling Rink, the show and sale will be open to the public from 1pm to 5pm and will also feature a chance to chat with the artists while they work about their art.
The annual retreat touches artists across the province, drawing them to Assiniboia for a week of sharing their work, and Thorburn is looking forward to another year of the gathering.
For more information about the retreat and it's exhibitions, contact the Assiniboia & District Arts Council at the Shurniak Art Gallery, at (306) 642-5294.
