Artists' Visit a Hit at St. Albert the Great School, Calgary

Three artists who contributed to The Burgess Shale Exhibit were able to share their passion for textile art with the students of the Art 7 class at St. Albert the Great Junior High School in Calgary on Friday, May 9.

When Margaret Blank arrived, she found the class well under way -- lead by the enthusiastic duo of Leslie Barnes and Deborah Bray.  Carolyn Lutz, the Art 7 teacher, and Caroline Loewen, the Manager/Curator for TREX Southwest (Alberta Society of Artists), were in on the excitement and the learning that went on all morning.

The chosen project?  Fabric postcards of the Burgess Shale critters.  Most of the students hadn't handled a needle and thread before, or cut up fabric, or worked with buttons and trims, irons and fusible web. The photos from the day say it all...

Caroline L. irons the fusible

Stitching away...

Stitching suggestions from Leslie -- or Deb?

Working in sketchbooks

The challenge: thick thread!

Deb works on a piece

Crazy-patch critters!

Choia sponge interpretation

Sponges I

Sponges II

Finished Collection

In the end, twenty-eight pieces were ready for the students to display at the school's up-coming Art Walk.  The artists left behind a ton of fabric scraps and bundles of embroidery floss as a memento of their visit -- and an invitation to have another go at textile art.  They came away with a greater gift -- the energy of 28 students -- girls and boys aged 11-13 -- who set the class-room a-buzz with their enthusiasm, their creativity, and their eagerness to learn.

The Burgess Shale Exhibit left St. Albert the Great School yesterday and will open next at the following venues:

• Millarville Community Library, Millarville, AB - May 21 - June 18;
• Beiseker Station Museum, Beiseker, AB - June 25 - July 23; and
• Sundre Municipal Library, Sundre, AB - July 30 - August 25.

Should you live near one of those venues and want to arrange an Artist's Visit, contact Co-Rep Margaret Blank, who will put you in touch with Caroline Loewen at TREX/ASA.   While most venues would welcome a visit from a participating artist, not all require or expect the artist(s) to provide a hands-on project.  The artist(s) might be called on to do an artist's talk about the exhibit and/or his/her own work and process.  Making a visit requires only that you have a passion for your work, and an ability and willingness to share this with viewers.  Go for it!