The art gallery will be a busy and bustling centre for the arts in 2014.
Director Amber Andersen, new curator Alli King and educator Karly Garnier are all getting excited for what the year holds. Coming off the successful fall fundraiser and the summer's Big Bash, the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum will keep the live music coming.
The gallery's Southern Plains Co-op After Dark series will continue to bring in musical acts from around the province on a monthly basis, often accompanied by local musicians.
Andersen said they plan on once again hosting the Big Bash, a summer music festival, along with the dueling pianos event held last fall.
"Dueling pianos is going to be our big (fundraiser), so the board is taking the energy that came off of that and putting it toward this year's. We'll be doing it again," said Andersen, who noted they have already booked the same two entertainers. "That will be our main feature."
Andersen said they are always looking for more board members, and encouraged anyone interested on serving on the board to come aboard and bring forward some ideas. They are looking to add to their seven-member board hoping to bring the number to 10 or 12.
The EAGM is welcoming the community into the gallery for a potluck on Thursday evening, as they are introducing King, who began working as curator late last year.
King said many of the year's exhibits are set, and she is in the midst of organizing a group show to fill the gallery's summer stretch.
When it comes to creating art, the gallery has a number of opportunities for everyone to come in and learn how to express themselves through varying mediums.
"We have a little bit for everyone," said Garnier, pointing to the EAGM's adult and senior art classes, activities for teens and an expansion to the after school art program, which started last year with students from Hillcrest School.
She said people can see a full schedule of classes on the EAGM website or Facebook page, reminding people who are interested to register, particularly for the classes that may fill up fast.
"We've tried to integrate more adult stuff in the last few years, just because it hasn't really been done at the gallery before," noted Garnier.
She will instruct some classes, but they will be welcoming artists from the area to teach.
They have also been asked to provide more opportunities for teens to engage at the gallery, so the EAGM educator said there will be classes to look forward to designed to cater to that age group.
"What we've found is people are a bit more interested in more beginner classes, but if something is really popular we would open an intermediate," Garnier said. "We don't think the community is ready for a six-week or 12-week program, but it's something that we would definitely offer."
King noted they are offering a four-week course in art basics, instructed by Judy Swallow.
The after school program, Garnier noted, will be an ongoing class for young students. The program is funded jointly by Kramer and Enbridge and will involve students from around the city. For that program, the EAGM picks students up directly from school and their parents may then pick them up after the art lesson is complete.
The EAGM leaders all encourage interested people to contact them or become members, whether they are looking to instruct or enroll in a class, produce pieces for an exhibit or have a line on an enthusiastic local band.
"If they want to teach and show and play music, that would be fabulous," said Andersen with a laugh.
Filling the EAGM currently are two hockey-based exhibits by Liz Pead and local photographer Jennifer Durr, leading up to the Winter Olympics, as well as an exhibit on the project space by Norma Jones.
