The Aurora Art Group is getting ready for the return of its annual member’s show next week.
The art group held a show last November, but its annual May show was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Building on what worked in November though, the group is holding its show over three days at the Prince Albert Arts Centre.
Group member Birgit Raduenz said the art group members are looking forward to showing what they’ve been working on with members of the public.
“I think everybody is pretty hyped,” she said. “ I think everybody that came (in November) was happy that there was a real live event happening. So we’re hopeful that this one is going to be well received as well.”
Raduenz said they’re a little disappointed that the event won’t be catered like it has been in years past, due to public health regulations. But she thanked Shananigan’s for their support. The restaurant usually provides the group’s catering, and over the past year has been allowing the group to showcase their art on the cafe walls.
Raduenz said she likes to work in various different media, and a highlight of the show is the varied styles and materials used by members. Many members paint, ranging from oil to watercolour to acrylic. Others use ink or photography, while others still work in three dimensions. Raduenz said she’s bringing more pottery and collage works this year, while guest artist Marilyn Cook transforms unwanted jewellery into works of art and Leah Joelson is known for her Kaleidoscopes.
There is so much variety,” Raduenz said. “Everybody’s trying to make art that people will love and get inspired by.”
She’s also excited to see the work of the three guest artists. In addition to Cook, Aurora is welcoming Jodi Joelson, who primarily works with black ink on paper but also has been experimenting with other media. The third guest artist is Rae Moe of Shellbrook, a painter.
“It’s always exciting to have guest artists, because you don’t know what they’re going to bring to the group,” Raduenz said. “It always creates a slightly different dimension at our show.”
Tammy Smart and Bonnie Denny were previous guest artists, and they have since been added as members of the group. Smart primarily works with acrylic, and says she tries to stay within the naturalism and realism genre.
Denny is a painter who works mostly in oil, which she says she loves because of its luminosity, but she also works with watercolour, ink and acrylic. She likes depicting the “magic and vitality” the north radiates.
Raduenz said the group gets together to paint alongside each other at the Arts Centre. Since that’s also where the group was founded, it makes the Arts Centre the perfect home for the group’s annual show.
Raduenz is hoping everyone comes out to take in the show and support a group of local artists.
“It’s always good to experience the art world, you get a little bit of what people care about,” she said.
“When I teach classes, the fact that I am inspired to do art helps to inspire other people to do art. And I think that’s part of what the group’s about as well, is that we really love what we do. We try to be down to earth so that people can relate to it, and enjoy it and come away feeling good about life and the world.”
The Aurora Art Group Show and Sale runs Thursday, May 13, noon to 7 p.m., Friday May 14 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Saturday May 15 from 11 a.m. To 3 p.m. at the Prince Albert Arts Centre on Central Ave. Admission is free.
