Morinville Art Club is celebrating 45 years this year

by Stephen Dafoe and Morinville Online

This year marks The Morinville Art Club’s 45th anniversary, and the club is inviting new and experienced artists to join their weekly sessions.

Morinville Art Club President Rozanna Moore McConnell has been head of the club for the past five years but will step down from that role later this month at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Jan. 31.

“I do believe that the group is still wishing to do something commemorative, probably in conjunction with Festival Days as per usual,” she said. “I’m really excited about it being 45 years. I’ve never been part of a group this age.”

Although specific anniversary plans have yet to be decided, the Morinville Art Club will start the first of two 12-week studio sessions at the Morinville Community Cultural Centre after the AGM on Jan. 31. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the AGM at 7 p.m.

The remaining 11 weekly sessions take place on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The second session will run from September until the end of November. The cost for each 12-week session is $40.

“We always encourage people to bring their own work and work on their own thing,” Moore McConnell said of the weekly studio time, noting that at less than $5 per week, there is little in the way of activities to match the price and provide camaraderie as well. “I get so much feedback from the other artists saying, ‘We really don’t touch anything until it’s time we come back, and we start working on things again.'”

Moore McConnell explained that the club is open to anyone interested in art at all experience levels. The club is not exclusive to painting. Photographers, woodworkers, carvers and sculptors are all welcome.

“It’s a way to express yourself, and it’s really important to do that in whatever way feels good to you,” she explained. “To be part of the art club is a way to open up to new ideas, a way of seeing things, but also to have someone to push you … or have that conversation about how it feels to be making art.”

Moore McConnell said the energy and attitude of the Morinville Art Club are loving and welcoming to all artists and all levels.

The local artist said her art journey is one where she shifted from the Bob Ross art style to doing abstract art. During that time, both types of art were equally welcomed.

“Any time I’ve presented my art with Morinville Art Club, it has never been looked down upon,” Moore McConnell said.

The Art Club expects to show and sell art during this year’s Morinville Festival Days and at the annual Farmers’ Market Christmas Market.

For more information about the Morinville Art Club, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/morinvilleartclub.