It鈥檚 early in the year, but the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum is already promoting some of their ideas to celebrate Canada鈥檚 150th birthday.
EAGM director Amber Andersen said they have several events planned, starting with a mural that will be created during a workshop from May 11 to 13. Artist Phil Alain, who is part of the Canada 150 Mosaic mural project, will be coming to Estevan to assist with the project.
鈥淗e will be working with the community to make a mural project,鈥� said Andersen. 鈥淲e鈥檙e really excited about that. We will have a legacy coming out of the 150th.鈥�
Participants will create their blocks, and then Alain and other artists will help bring the tiles together for an image.
鈥淲e will be reaching to our membership,鈥� said Andersen. 鈥淲e will be reaching out to school groups. I鈥檓 sure we鈥檒l be putting it out to different groups in the community.鈥�
They will also have several exhibits that celebrate Canada鈥檚 150th birthday. The first will be 1867: Rebellion and Confederation from the Canadian Museum of History. It will be in Estevan from May 4 to July 15.
鈥淥n July 1, 1867, Confederation was proclaimed, marking the birth of today鈥檚 Canada, and the culmination of a journey that had taken nearly 30 years,鈥� said Andersen, reading a summary for the exhibit. 鈥淭his exhibition studies the root to nationhood taken by a society in transition, and by the people who fought, negotiated and made compromises to forge a more peaceful union.鈥�
The EAGM will also host an exhibit that is a spin-off from a previous display. Last year the EAGM had Estevan Women: The Dynamics in one of its galleries. It was on display in 1998, and features photos of numerous women in Estevan at that time. Some still reside in the Energy City.
鈥淭o celebrate 150, we want to do this show again, but in present day,鈥� said Andersen.
The new version of Estevan Women will feature those who are currently bringing something to the community and making waves in a positive way. The EAGM is seeking nominations for women who will be part of the exhibit.
The updated Estevan Women exhibit will be on display from July 25 to the end of August, so Andersen said the nomination should be filed by early June.
Finally, they will have a show called Home Sweet Home at the end of the year. It will feature artwork that represents the value of home.
鈥淲e will be putting out a call to the community, and asking artists to be in that one,鈥� said Andersen.
The interpretation of home can be anything, or anywhere, she said. It could be Canada or another country.
The EAGM will also be altering the upstairs floor in the neighbouring North West Mounted Police Museum, to place greater emphasis on indigenous history from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Andersen is optimistic they can host more events during this year, but she is pleased with the ones that the EAGM has already announced.
