City's art galleries to offer increased audience interaction and programming during tour.

A10

Hanne Armstrong

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

"There are all kinds of styles on the Gallery Tours," says Colette McLcaughlin, Community Development Officer for the City of Moncton, "and all kinds of people. People who love art and who love that people love art."

The 2009 Art Gallery Tours, formerly known as the Art Studio Tours, has been shaken out and spiffed up for its first run-through in its new format. The most notable changes are the reduction of the event from two days to one, the elimination of private home studios from the list, and increased audience interaction and programming along the Tour stops.

Fourteen galleries and studios are geared up to be toured on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 1 to 5 p.m. Whether your interests run to acrylic, oil or water painting, sculpture, printing, photography or stop motion animation, there's bound to be something on the tours to attract your attention. Whether you'd like to see the work of established professionals, ranking amateurs, local or visiting artists, there's something for you, including works by artists from Halifax, Saskatoon, and Finland. And don't worry, you won't miss the works of artists who used to participate from home studios, because they're being offered exhibition space on one of the stops on the tours circuit. In fact, there are more artists involved in this year's Gallery Tours than in last year's Studio Tours.

What's the attraction in wandering around town on a self-guided tour of art galleries? Apart from the obvious ones of broadening your perspectives and supporting the creative life blood of the community, there's the added bonus on tour day of meeting like-minded people. And then there's the programming set up especially for the day.

Each gallery will have an interpreter on site to answer questions and offer explanations about their particular exhibit. There will also be opportunities to meet many of the exhibiting artists, to talk with them, ask what inspires them, and how they do what it is they do. Several artists will be creating a piece on site, so you can watch them as they work. And some will be letting members of the public try their hand at their own creations.

"The response from galleries has been extraordinary," says Colette. "They didn't all used to participate, but they've all been enthusiastic about being part of this right from when we first contacted them."

The only thing that might confuse people is not knowing where to start their tour experience, or which galleries to take in if time is limited. To ease this confusion the City has prepared a Tours Map, with a suggested route based simply on geographical logistics. And there will be large signs outside each venue. Better still, they've got a web page set up with a list of whose work will be exhibited at each gallery, which artists will be on hand, and where the demonstrations are taking place. There are also links to many of the galleries for more exhibit information. Go to moncton.ca, click on 2009 Gallery Tours, which is under City Activities near the bottom of the page. Hard copies of Tours maps and information pamphlets will be available at each of the participating galleries on tour day.

What do artists get out of an event like this? Contact, connection with people to whom their work may be of interest. From well-known established artists to relatively unknown emerging ones, Gallery Tours gives creators a unique opportunity to make their work accessible to the public, to gain exposure and to remove some of the barrier of mystique which can exist between the creative and perhaps less creative segments of the population.

Ultimately, the day will hopefully lead to a few sales either on the spot, or down the road.

Who goes on the Gallery Tours?

"Some are friends and family of the artists," says Colette, "but many aren't. I go myself, and I love it. And it's a great opportunity for children to find out what's possible, to let them learn about art beyond what they learn in the classroom, and maybe to become inspired themselves."

You don't have to be an art expert, you don't even have to know one end of a chisel or paintbrush from the other, to enjoy the Gallery Tours. Nobody is going to test your art IQ. This is a tour for everybody regardless of knowledge level or skill set.

Why not check it out yourself? There may be an artist or an art lover lurking unbeknownst in your soul; why not find out?

And, while you're taking in the various creations and demonstrations, take mental notes not only of the art you prefer, but of ways you think next year's Gallery Tours could be improved.

Colette is open to suggestions of how to improve the experience for artists and the general public alike, so if you've got something constructive to contribute, feel free to offer your feedback.

"I've very excited about this," says Colette, "as a way to keep people interested in the arts and to connect with artists."