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The Richmond Art Gallery has restarted its Artist Salon Series via online webinar that allows local artists to interact with each other and the public.
Photo courtesy Richmond Art Gallery
Artist Salon Series connects art community online
By Hannah Scott, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Published 12:44 PDT, Wed April 29, 2020
Last Updated: 2:13 PDT, Wed May 12, 2021
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Despite its physical closure, the Richmond Art Gallery continues to provide opportunities for local artists to connect with each other and the public.
The Artist Salon Series was a successful monthly program from 2016 to 2018, and funding was reinstated for the program this year. But when COVID-19 forced the closure of gallery spaces, the Richmond Art Gallery turned to the idea of a webinar series in order to support eager participants.
The program is designed for local artists looking to build professional development skills and advance their careers.
“(It) was also meant to build up the local artist community via meeting once a month to socialize, share ideas and network,” says program coordinator Kathy Tycholis.
She explains that artists suggest speakers or topics of interest, and she tries to address their needs.
“When we hosted it at the gallery, I was able to chat with most participants so I had a pretty good sense of what they wanted in this series,” says Tycholis. “Now that we’ve moved online, I use email and social media to stay in touch with artists who have attended over the years, to get their input on how I should proceed with plans for upcoming sessions.”
The artist-driven program is free to participants and depends on outside funding to continue running. Tycholis says she intends to keep it going for as long as there is interest in the artist community.
“We hope to continue the Artist Salon program for many years to come, as it does serve a real need in the artist community,” says Tycholis. “There are not a lot of free programs in existence that offer professional development and networking opportunities specific to visual artists.”
The first trial session happened recently, and the program will continue on the last Tuesday night of each month until November, if there is continued interest.
And members of the public can join in and be a part of the art community through a Q&A session that accompanies each webinar. The sessions will be posted on YouTube as well.
There’s also a program Facebook page for interaction and sharing ideas. Tycholis administers the group and regularly posts Lower Mainland arts opportunities.
For more information on the Artist Salon Series, visit the Richmond Art Gallery website.
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