Sunshine Coast galleries and other art-display venues might be shuttered due to the pandemic, but you can still see local artists and their work, thanks to an innovative idea conceived by Sunshine Coast Tourism called Into The Studio.
The project invites the public to make digital visits to artists’ studios either in a live Instagram streaming experience or in video tours of creators’ workspaces.
“We wanted to find different ways to keep people inspired and interested and engaged with the Sunshine Coast, but without actually coming here because, of course, we’re very conscious that travel is not what anyone should be doing right now,” Leah Adams-Chute, Marketing Director for Sunshine Coast Tourism, told Coast Reporter. She said there has been active interest since launching the project earlier in April.
“It’s been great to see the submissions rolling in and people reaching out to our email inbox to say ‘hey, how can I be involved,’” Adams-Chute said. “I’ve gotten responses all the way from Langdale to Lund so far.”
Abstract painter Marlene Lowden submitted a video tour of her Langdale studio, and landscape painter Marleen Vermeulen was scheduled to submit a video of her own in the past week. Adams-Chute said she’s asking for submissions in which the artists, “just talk about what they’re working on and show us around their studio.” She suggests the videos be kept to two minutes long. “It just works a bit better to share that [length of video] on our social media channels.”
Adams-Chute acknowledged that asking people to film themselves in their studio could be a little daunting for some. “I’ve tried to give some tips to people who reached out to me about the best way to film to showcase their art. I tried to guide people through the process.”
Roberts Creek artist Lucas Kratochwil, who paints stunning snow-capped mountain vistas that look remarkably like photographs, took a more leisurely approach with an hour-long Instagram livestream. In it, Kratochwil took viewers on a tour of his oceanside neighbourhood and then into his studio for an extended text-based conversation with participants. Adams-Chute said Kratochwil’s contribution was something of a “special edition,” adding that, “we probably won’t do too many of those live videos. Not everyone is an expert at live.”
Instagram livestreams aren’t posted for long after they’re completed, but any artist who wants to take a crack at it might find it worth their while. Kratochwil’s was picked up by the provincial tourism organization Destination BC, with 512,000 followers on its @HelloBC Instagram portal.
The videos can be seen on the local tourism website www.sunshinecoastcanada.com. Adams-Chute can be contacted about the program at [email protected]. Add Into The Studio in the subject line.
