THE ART MACHINE
Community Arts Programming
Sponsored by the Hope & District Arts Council
The Art Machine is a Community Arts Program presented by the Hope & District Arts Council. Arts programming has always been a long term goal of the council and in 2009 we were very fortunate to receive funding from the Federal and Provincial governments. This funding enabled us to create an arts program for the community of Hope, providing instruction and materials at minimal cost. Our programs are available to all regardless of age, cultural background, income or experience.
The council was able to continue The Art Machine program and is partially funded by the BC Arts Council, BC Gaming, the Province of BC, BC Hydro and also with revenue from drop-in fees, arts council fundraisers and donations. A special thank you goes out to the numerous volunteers who help make this program possible. Community response has been outstanding and after several temporary locations, we have found a new home for the The Art Machine. We are now located at 777 5th Avenue, just across from Buy & Save Foods. Our new location is larger, on one level, has windows providing natural lighting and is wheelchair accessible. It's a wonderful space with a comfortable atmosphere to promote creativity and allow participants to share in the arts experience.
On Monday and Wednesdays, Linda Bishop teaches adult basic drawing and painting. She focuses on line, form, perspective and values. Ongoing classes vary with sketching, painting in acrylics, skill building exercises, watercolour techniques and the occasional outdoor session. On Mondays evenings, Linda also teaches an adult class from 7-9 pm.
Pamela McBride shares her love of arts and crafts with children on Mondays in an afterschool class for all ages.
On Wednesdays there is a special children's/youth class after school, for the more "serious" young artists in our community. These classes teach basic drawing skills and advance to acrylic and watercolour painting.
On Thursdays, Diane Ferguson teaches adults pottery, collage, paper mache, watercolours, Chinese brush painting, etc. There is also an after school class for children of all ages where we will be doing a variety of arts and crafts projects.
For those of you who wish to focus on a particular medium and work at your own pace, you are welcome to do so. We have several participants who come to the drop-in classes and enjoy just doing pottery or Chinese brush painting.
The Art Machine will also be holding all day Saturday workshops featuring a variety of artists/teachers from the lower mainland and elsewhere in British Columbia. These workshops are a fabulous way to expand your horizons by learning new art forms, techniques and to share ideas.
We hope to increase programming as determined by the needs of the community and we welcome any ideas or requests that you have. The Art Machine offers community members of Hope and the surrounding area the opportunity to participate in the arts on a social and individual level and to share in the joy of creation. We believe that participation in the arts promotes positive self esteem and is essential to health and wellness in individuals and to the community as a whole.
Please contact us at 1-604-869-3400 or hopearts@telus.net Our website is www.hopedistrictartscouncil.com and you can find weekly updates for The Art Machine on Facebook.