Monthly Activities

Tuesday Talks: 6 PM

The speaker and theme of the talk will be released throughout the year. See here or the events page for updates.

February 10th: Peter von Tiesenhausen

March 10th: Kate Bucca

April 14th: Theresa Macknight – Long Haul Creativity: Longevity of an Artistic Practice

May 12th: Brian Frost

June 9th: Stephanie Weirathmueller

July 14th: TBA

August 11th: TBA

September 8th: TBA

October 13th: TBA

November 10th: TBA

December 8th: TBA

Its A Draw: Drawing exercises: Sunday, 1 – 3 PM
Bring your own materials, suggested materials list below

It’s a Draw is a group led session for drawing practice and exploration. It’s similar to life drawing, but instead of deciding on the type and duration of poses together, exercises will be selected from the provided box of prompts with suggested times. These prompts will range from drawing warmups to different types of exercises with a focus on experimental drawing and observational drawing. Think of it as a social drawing exercise session. The loose and messy companion to figure drawing. 

Suggested materials:

It’s a Draw does not require you to have specific materials, just a range of different materials. The drawing exercises won’t specify a tool to use, instead they will ask you to choose one and then switch it for another material of your choosing. The following list is to give you ideas of what you might want to bring, but you are not required to only have things from this list or have everything from this list.

• graphite pencils of varying softness
• conte charcoal
• willow charcoal
• fineliners of varying sizes and/or colours
• pens
• china/wax marker
• rubber eraser
• kneaded eraser
• coloured pencils
• india ink
• crayons
• oil pastels
• soft pastels

Life Drawing: Sunday, 1 – 3 PM

Practice drawing the human figure in our monthly Life Drawing sessions. Warm up through a series of short poses then work on proportion, gesture, and shape through longer studies. This is a great opportunity to practice anatomy as well as observational skills to improve your drawing practice, no matter the subject.

Bring your own supplies, easels and boards provided.  Model may be clothed or nude.

Please note: If we are unable to have a model for the session, the session will go ahead with participants taking turns volunteering to pose for hand studies, portraiture, and so on. These sessions will be discounted to $15. If you have already registered, we will issue a partial refund.

Hands On: A directed craft or art project for all ages: 1 – 3 PM
Price Varies, please check per activity

Hands On is a monthly creative activity that is open for everyone regardless of age or skill level. Each session will be led by a facilitator who will provide instructions and be available for help. The projects will not involve strict or intricate steps that rely on learning technique or a practiced skill. The goal is to give you something fun to do rather than something to stress over.

The activities will be released throughout the year. See here or the events page for updates.

Mar 28th: Eraser linocut stamps with Kate Giles

Learn the basics of linocut printmaking and turn erasers into stamps. Participants will be walked through using tools for linocut and draw or trace options for their stamp before moving on to carving their stamp and trying it out on cards. Participants will leave this session with their printed cards and a stamp to take home and keep using.

April 25th: Special Edition!
Mending What you Cannot See with Laura Roy. 1 – 4 PM, $30

Working with Halifax-based textile artist and illustrator Laura Roy, participants will learn the artist’s process from idea to finished piece, beginning with designing a work, embroidery floss basics, colour theory, and material storage. Included materials include an embroidery hoop, coloured floss, needles, etc. so art makers can continue their project on their own. Ages 12 + welcome!

May 20th: Special Edition!
Gentle Drawing – Stephanie Weirathmueller. 1 – 4 pm, free

Gentle Drawing is a compassionate and gentle approach to drawing when you’re living with chronic pain, energy issues, or mobility issues– where you maybe don’t have a studio or have financial limitations. It’s really about creating work in a way that is very flexible and kind, but with a sense of presence—slowing down to notice details. It uses a traditional or academic approach to drawing as a way to notice with care and presence, but done in a way that can be very easy to do anywhere and with various limitations.

This workshop will begin with warm up exercises like automatic drawing and very simple visual note-taking to help ease you into making without pressure. From there, Stephanie Weiraithmueller will introduce gentle, methodical ways of seeing — such as noticing angles, values, and shapes — using academic approaches that are broken down into very accessible steps. One step is drawing directly over faded photographs, which helps participants practice looking and translating what they see without the stress of starting from a blank page.

The activities are small, bite-sized, and build on one another, with the option to work toward a simple final piece that participants can take home. Materials are intentionally minimal — mechanical pencils and paper — and while people are welcome to bring their own sketchbooks, everything can be done on provided paper or clipboards.

June 27th: TBA

July 25th: TBA

August 29: TBA

Sept 26: TBA

Oct 31st: TBA

Nov 28th: TBA