Attendance for the Open Art Studio program continues to see a decline as the City of Pitt Meadows wraps up another year of the local arts initiative.
Kate Campbell, digital communications and engagement coordinator for the city, explained that this trend of low participation in the program is something that they have been seeing since it started back up again in January of this year after being closed through most of the pandemic.
“Although participation was lower than last year, the city is committed to supporting artists in our community, and giving the artist community opportunities to flourish,” said Campbell.
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“The Open Art Studio initiative was developed to provide a space for artists to collaborate and learn from each other. The Parks, Recreation, and Culture department will continue to develop the Open Art Studio program, while exploring other opportunities to support artists in our community.”
Although the program provides space for 12 artists per session, many of these seats remained empty during the bi-monthly classes.
Campbell explained that their feature artist sessions were by far the most popular, with Tannis Ross drawing the busiest sessions with her class on how artists can build their social media presence and use it to help connect with their audiences.
These featured artists, of which there are typically four in a year, each sign on for a few classes and help instruct artists on a pre-determined topic.
“Feature artists are typically selected from artists that are being featured in Pitt Meadows Art Gallery,” said Campbell.
As of right now, there have been no featured artists selected for the 2023 Open Art Studio program, but the first session of the new year is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 7.
“The Open Art Studio program will return in January 2023 and we will continue to monitor attendance,” said Campbell. “If popularity remains low, we will shift to a focus on feature artist sessions and perhaps other specific workshops.”
More information on the Open Art Studio can be found by visiting https://www.pittmeadows.ca/arts-culture-heritage/.
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