Free Art Day inspired by work of Gibraltar Point artist

The Mann Art Gallery hosted their monthly Free Art Day on Saturday and drew inspiration from their current exhibition. Mann Art Gallery Operations Manager Lindsay Sorell, who acted as the studio educator on Saturday, said their current exhibition Gibraltar Point by Michel Boutin and Tristan Durocher gave them the theme for this month’s Free Art [...] The post Free Art Day inspired by work of Gibraltar Point artist first appeared on Prince Albert Daily Herald .

The Mann Art Gallery hosted their monthly Free Art Day on Saturday and drew inspiration from their current exhibition. Mann Art Gallery Operations Manager Lindsay Sorell, who acted as the studio educator on Saturday, said their current exhibition Gibraltar Point by Michel Boutin and Tristan Durocher gave them the theme for this month’s Free Art Day. “Michel Boutin did a piece directly on the wall where he drew with charcoal, so we are responding to that,” Sorell explained.

“We have a big, long piece of tracing paper on the wall, and the kids are able to draw with charcoal, charcoal directly from a fire pit on the wall with different colours of charcoal.” There was also a basket to select an art activity. “(It’s) like a random inspiration,” she said.

“When you pick out an idea from the basket, it’s just an idea, like draw excitement or draw the weirdest hat you’ve ever seen. It’s kind of inspired by Dadaism, which is what Michel Boutin is really interested in.” Dadaism was a radical, early 20th-century “anti-art” movement that emerged in Zurich and spread globally as a protest against the horrors of World War I.

It championed absurdity, nonsense, and chaos to reject the rational, capitalist, and bourgeois societal norms that many artists blamed for the global conflict. Sorell said the Free Art Day had a large turnout. She estimated is was their biggest engagement event of the season.

“We have it every month so people get used to it,” she said. “They come and people from the art tents are coming back and coming to the free art day as well.” Sorell was one of the leaders at two art tents at the Downtown Street Fair and National Indigenous People’s Day and said she was happy to see the people come out.

“We build the rapport and build the relationships and start someone early on their art career when they’re a child,” she explained. For August, Sorell said that the theme has not been decided yet but they hope to be inspired by Gilbraltar Point again. “I haven’t confirmed the details of that one yet.

We’re hoping to do something that’s more along the lines of liphotography and portraiture playing off of Tristen’s pieces here, so we’re looking at some ways that we can play with that next month,” Sorell said. Sorell invited everyone to come out next month for the Free Art Day. “Come out and let’s experiment with portraiture next month then,” she said.

“we have 10 free art days in the year, so people can keep their eyes out for what we’re going to do because they’re more than welcome to come join us.” Gibraltar Point is open at the Mann Art Gallery until Sept. 4. michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca