Prince Albert arts teacher Christina Thoen began with a desire to pass on the joy of creativity to her students.
More than 30 years later, those efforts have put her in the Prince Albert Arts Hall of Fame.
Thoen will be among five inductees when the Prince Albert Arts Board holds their annual induction gala on Friday. Thoen said it means a lot to be inducted.
“When I opened the email, I was pretty emotional—just instant tears swelling in my eyes—because you don’t think a whole lot about what you’ve done,” Thoen said. “It’s been 30 years of pouring my heart and soul into art and helping people to find that artist within themselves.”
Thoen has had plenty of success creating and selling her own artwork. The list of accolades includes the 2010 Kyla Art Show, where she one both first and second place in the People’s Choice category. However, it was her dedication to teaching at Christina’s Art and Soul Studio that impacted the lives of many Prince Albert residents.
“When I found out the joy of creating art myself, I became a teacher,” Thoen said. “I knew I could teach it. I knew I could teach people to draw and I just really wanted to really share that joy of creating art. (That) was really my main purpose.”
Thoen has taught more than 200 art students per year in Saskatchewan. She began as a public school teacher, but quit teaching to open her own studio in 1995.
Thoen describes herself as “teaching from the starting blocks.” She said it was always her dream to teach art. Even if a student says they can’t even draw a stick man, she encourages them to take the plunge.
“It’s just sharing that joy,” she said. If people don’t think they have the talent for it, they won’t ever pursue it, but yet talent is something that you need to develop. You might be born a little bit more talented in art, but ultimately it takes hard work.”
Thoen’s instruction doesn’t stop in the class room. Her students host an art show every year, and take field trips to get a chance to experience the wider vision of the art world.
Those tours aren’t local either. Previous trips include travels to Spain and Greece.
“It’s just something I feel people really need to experience—the history and the reality of those old masters, and how art was a coveted, coveted, coveted talent and career,” she said. “Especially before cameras came along.”
Thoen will be inducted into the builders category for her efforts. She said the category is a good descriptor of what she’s tried to do.
“I’ve taught over a couple thousand people in in Prince Albert easily,” said Thoen. “It’s been a big, exciting part of my life. I still run into those students here, there, and everywhere.”
Thoen works in a variety of mediums, with a preference for still-life, street scenes, landscapes, trees, Saskatchewan skies, and portraits.
She will be inducted on Friday along with sculptor Cheryl Ring, musician Dennis Adams, and husband-wife duo Mike and Karen Langlois.
The Prince Albert Arts Hall of Fame Induction Gala will take place on Friday, Sept. 26.
–with files from Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald.
