To date, the Guild has organized over six youth art competition called the Big Spirit Art Competition. Open to artists
ranging from age 5 to 18 years old, this competition promotes the value of arts
to local youth. The young artists were invited to submit artworks using
watercolour, acrylic, pastels, pencil and/or charcoal in categories such as
landscape, abstract, still life and portrait. While there was grand prizes
awarded for the top artists in various categories, the guild realizes the
importance of encouraging youth to peruse the arts and so all the participants
were awarded with a ribbon.
In the past,
the Guild has also partnered with Keyano College to host a high school art
competition within Keyano’s art gallery. Winning competitors were awarded with
prize money funded by the Wood Buffalo Arts and Craft Guild, as well as scholarship
funding offered by Keyano College. Unfortunately, with a declining membership
base and lack of funding, the Guild can no longer offer these competitions at
this time. However, with a plan to boost membership registration, this worthy
program may have the potential to be reintroduced.
The Wood
Buffalo Arts & Craft Guild is also heavily involved in the community and
host a variety of fundraising events that support local social profit
organizations. A great example of this is when they hosted an art auction for Unity House, a local woman and children’s emergency
shelter, where proceeds from the auction were divided between the artist and Unity House. In addition to this, the President of the
guild, Margie Cunningham, initiated a program called Healing Halls at the local hospital where a percentage of
the proceeds from the sale of art goes to the Northern
Lights Health Foundation.
The Guild
also participates in several community celebrations like Alberta
Culture Days in Wood Buffalo for which
they created a community canvas on a large drop cloth and the public was
invited to join in and paint. Then, large
pieces of it was auctioned off to raise money for the Kids Forever Foundation, a recently dissolved local charity that
supported families who provide for sick and disabled. The guild began the
creation of the community canvas at MacDonald Island Park, then continued out of the Oil Sands Discovery Centre, and finally donating the last of the pieces
to be auctioned off at the Festival of
Trees event, an
annual fundraiser for various community charities.
The Wood Buffalo Arts & Craft Guild is one of the longest running art groups within the Wood Buffalo region. Guided by philanthropic principles, this group places the arts at the forefront of creative fundraising.
The Wood Buffalo Arts & Craft Guild welcomes new members. To learn more, or to become a member, contact the President of the Guild, Margie Cunningham, at mecunningham@shaw.ca
Stay informed on all upcoming events through their Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/WoodBuffaloArtsAndCraftsGuild
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