The street level building on South Fletcher Road by the Gibsons Public Library has always been associated with the arts. It was once the tiny library for the Town and it usually hosts the Gibsons School of the Arts (GSA) in the summer.
In later years, it was an activity centre for parents and tots, but this group has moved out. The kids' colourful art that once could be seen in the windows has been replaced with more kids' colourful art. The space is now once again a home for art activities, thanks to the efforts of two local women.
Georgina Brandon and Ann-Marie Brown met at a children's party their kids were attending. Brandon, a clay artist who has lived on the Coast for 12 years, got talking to Brown, who is a painter. They realized they had a shared vision: a venue for all ages in the community that would offer workshops and guidance in different mediums.
"We wanted a warm, bright spot on a bus route," Brandon said. "It's a great place for experimenting with art."
"We also wanted to see cross pollination between artists," added Brown. "It can get lonely out there."
The two formed the Arts Building Society with other artists Alan Sirulnikoff, Wendy Crumpler and Jane Alder, bringing their proposal to the Town of Gibsons.
"They [council] were open to the idea," said Brown. "They saw it as a potential benefit."
The society received a grant in early October to cover insurance, paint and a few necessaries, and they had the place up and running by November. It meant operating on a shoestring budget and relying on recycled materials such as the old-fashioned wooden chairs donated by a church. The first classes were quickly organized to include a guitar workshop from Celso Machado and a life drawing class from Marleen Vermeulen.
"There's an incredible talent pool on the Coast," Brown said. "We're letting it form organically by what people bring to it."
Recently they were approached by someone knowledgeable in tintype photography, for example, and they have workshops planned by puppet master Sandy Buck, digital photographer Barry Haynes and African dancer Jean Pierre Makosso.
On Friday, Jan. 29, they will host In Search of Lost Colour, a film by Maiwa Productions about natural dyes around the world. The next day, local fibre artist Natalie Grambow gives a workshop in natural dyes. On Jan. 31, artist Brian Romer will lead a painting demonstration and discussion in the afternoon.
The four-week workshop sessions are aimed at kids and adults. As a mother and an Emily Carr graduate, Brandon enjoys working with children on clay projects.
"They're so expressive and there's a storytelling element to it," she said.
Brown is not as accustomed to teaching, but likes working through the elements of painting with kids, offering up ideas and techniques. One of her first acts at the Arts Building was to construct a kid-size cave from recycled materials that serves as a play space.
A regular tots program takes place in the mornings, and an after-school session runs from 4 to 5 p.m. in the afternoons. Programs continue until next summer when the GSA returns.
Since development plans are in the works for the area, will the building be available after September?
"It can't be a concern," said Brown. "We're just flowing with what we're doing right now."
The two stress that they are open to ideas for ways to use the venue. For more information and a schedule of events, see www.artsbuilding.org or phone 604-886-6610.
