Ever wanted to try your hand at stained glass? How about woodworking, drawing, painting or papermaking?
If you've dreamed of embarking on an art adventure of this sort, you will get a chance to try your hand at any and all of these things at the Humboldt and District Museum and Gallery (HDMG) at the end of the month.
The HDMG is putting on a Culture Day on Friday, September 30 and has invited four local artists to interact with the public to create art as the day's focus.
Culture Days, explained HDMG curator Jennifer Hoesgen, "is a collaborative, pan-Canadian volunteer movement to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities."
SaskCulture came out with a grant for museums to get involved in Culture Days, she continued, and by hosting one in Humboldt, she saw an opportunity to work with the arts community and provide people with an opportunity to engage in art.
"It's not just about watching art being done," she said. "It's about actually participating."
Culture Day, she added, is also a great way to showcase some of the local talent we have in the Humboldt area.
"There's a lot of talent in Humboldt," Hoesgen said. "That's an exciting thing as well."
Four well-known local artists who each work in different media will be at the Culture Day.
Stained-glass artist Elaina Adams of Prairie Glass will be working with fusing glass. She will show how the glass is cut, the different types of glass that are used in fusing, and demonstrate how thin rods of glass can be shaped by using the heat of a candle. She also plans to give those interested a piece of two-inch base glass to decorate, and which she will fuse at her studio later.
"These pieces can be used for either making a magnet or a piece of jewelry," Adams explained.
Woodcarver Mike Saretsky of Watson plans to demonstrate his craft, and give those interested a chance to do some woodcarving of their own on a piece of cottonwood poplar bark.
"Cottonwood poplar is a native Saskatchewan wood and has a very easy wood to carve," Saretsky said.
All the necessary woodcarving tools will be provided.
Flowers of Dellwood Creek near Burr will be offering people a chance to make their own handmade paper that's perfect for cardmaking or scrapbooking.
They will provide the vat, pulp and screens for those wanting to try it.
Visual artist Cynthia Stumborg is warning those wishing to take part in her Culture Day session to wear old clothes and a large painting shirt.
Stumborg plans to lead a collaborative effort to create a large drawing/painting entitled "Give a Hand to Our Love of Nature." Using a variety of media, participants can create large forms from nature, such as flowers and leaves, as well as smaller than life human presence, resulting in a mural expressing our connection to nature.
These artists were chosen because they wanted a selection of media, Hoesgen noted, "so that if you have a different interest, it's not all painting and drawing. We have glass, wood, paper. It's all going to be messy and fun.
"(People) don't get a lot of opportunities to actually try stuff like this," Hoesgen added.
Adults and kids alike can get involved in any of the activities. What's important is that you come with the right attitude.
"You need to come with a light-hearted approach," Hoesgen said. "And don't take it too seriously.... It's not about the product, it's about the process."
