Canal Street Art Gallery (CSAG) presents the Community Art Studio Program, providing a free-to-use space within the gallery, including artist-grade supplies, for the public to make art while overlooking the Bellows Falls Canal.
The Community Art Studio Program is open through Saturday, Feb. 24. During the gallery's regular hours, Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., artists of all ages are welcome to walk in and create. Artwork made may be donated and hung on the walls of the program. Donated artwork is then mounted sent by mail as rewards to supporters of the program. Artists also have the option to mount and take their work home in a clear sleeve, allowing visitors to create finished pieces ready to transport and frame.
A campaign launched by the gallery using the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform, if successful, will fund the building of a permanent space to maintain the free Community Art Studio Program. The goal of $1,500 must be met by Saturday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m.To donate, go to bit.ly/747-csag.
The Community Art Studio Program is inspired by the success of incorporating an art-making table within the "Charles W. Norris-Brown Distant Thunder Studio" exhibit. During this unique exhibition, visitors of all ages were inspired to make art in the gallery by using Norris-Brown's supplies and being surrounded by his work.
Currently, the Community Art Studio Program is open in the Working Artist Program space and is provided by CSAG and the Charles W. Norris-Brown Estate.
The creators say it directly addresses a need and desire for additional and financially accessible creative outlets, communicated to the gallery by its friends and neighbors. The all-or-nothing fundraiser will pay for movable walls, lighting, archival foam board, dry mounting paper, clear archival sleeves, wall primer, and wall paint.
An H-Frame studio easel has been added to the program, along with a large flat file, both given by generous donation from the gallery's artists. Donations of a drafting table and a studio cart are still needed.
If the GoFundMe campaign achieves its goal and a permanent space is created for the studio, the gallery will then be responsible for the costs to maintain the program as free and open for community use.
The gallery already has a third fundraising campaign planned to make the Community Art Studio Program a long-term success. Using the Patreon crowdfunding platform, a committed group of patrons will pledge an initial total goal of $250 per month.
The gallery also accepts donations of new or unused (only) artist-grade art supplies and preowned professional artist studio furniture during the gallery's regular hours.
This The Arts item was submitted to The Commons.