Barrhead art community to celebrate Month of the Artist

Barrhead will be celebrating the month of the artist by showcasing local works by local artists. 

Alberta's Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women, Tanya Fir, announced the start of the Month of the Artist on Sept. 3.

“The annual Month of the Artist is our opportunity to recognize the important way local artists enrich our lives,” Fir said in a release. 

Barrhead’s Art Club is woven into the fabric of our community, sharing art with residents at several businesses and facilities around town and through art events all year.

“Community art is really good for bringing the community together because being around art does something to you whether you view it or do it,” Claudette MacLean with the Barrhead Art Club said. 

Free community art happens throughout the year and is hosted by the Barrhead Art Club.

An art hive is planned for the Alberta Culture Days, where aspiring artists can try art using different mediums at the De Herdt Gardens.

The term art hive means a gathering of people in the community to do art where everyone is included and respected regardless of talent or art experience.

The Barrhead Art Club has its Alberta Culture Days scheduled for Sept. 28.

There will be an art walk with a map for community members to follow and see a variety of art.

Artists will be demonstrating live painting at the De Herdt Gardens during Culture Days.

“Everyone has an artist within them. As kids we loved doing art, but we fall away from it,” said MacLean.

MacLean encourages people to try art for the joy, creativity, and playfulness it brings and the opportunity to have a different experience.

For local artists who might be interested in stretching their experiences, there are opportunities to do so.

The Edmonton Arts Council has calls for art from local artists for a variety of events.

“Artists promote creativity and innovation, shaping how we see the world. Their work also contributes to Alberta’s economy,” said Fir in the media release.

“In 2021 alone, the visual, applied and live arts contributed more than $1 billion in GDP and sustained more than 15,000 jobs for Albertans.”

Alberta was the first and only province that celebrates artists for a full month.

The Alberta government is investing more than $30 million in the Alberta Foundation for the Arts so that it can continue to support artists in all corners of our province, according to Fir.