The Beaverlodge Art and Culture Centre is continuing its exhibit theme of “Art is for Everyone” in March with a watercolour student showcase.
Local artist Mimi Zhang-Mackie recently held a series of three watercolour classes in 2023 and she and her students’ works will be on display until March 21st. Harmony Freeman, a BACC representative says the showcase allows students to validate their work while encouraging others to try something new.
“I came up with this idea being able to show off the student work and maybe some of the processes in the class,” she says. “I think if people actually saw the process of things they would be less intimidated and more willing to try.”
This year’s theme has already made a splash on the local art scene after last month’s NWP Art student showcase and Freeman says it’s important to continue encouraging and supporting local artists who might not have the ability to display their work in a gallery setting to show that anyone with the drive to create a piece can be successful.
“It took a little bit of arm twisting for some of these watercolour students to bring their pieces in because they really did not feel like it was up to gallery standards, but we really wanted to show them that what they did was important and it is worth showing,” she says. “People are seeing that and going- well maybe I can do this, and I think that’s really important in anything.”
Freeman adds that the exhibit has already proven to be a success as “about a half dozen” people have already signed up to be notified of when the next Mimi watercolour class is scheduled.
The exhibit is available for public viewing from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the BACC at no cost.
