The Visual Arts Studio Association (VASA)'s support of visual artists is unparalleled, and this year the artist cooperative and art gallery marks its 20th anniversary.
Through two decades of challenges, this dynamic community has nurtured artists, showcased their works, and provided classes and workshops that increase appreciation for creativity and ingenuity.
Members plan to host a series of events throughout the year starting with an artist demo on July 3, a children’s flower painting party on July 10, a mud party with clay on July 12.
But the icing on the cake is a new special two-month-long exhibition. Themed St. Albert, it runs June 3 to July 26. Coinciding with St. Albert Gallery Walk, the opening reception is Thursday, June 5 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“What VASA is trying to do is be more integrated into the community. Artists tend to be isolated. But we’re trying to make it a drop-in for members, and we want to generate more community dialogue. We want to increase the membership, increase traffic and have the community know programs exist for all ages,” said Juwayriya Abdullahi, director of programming.
About 28 members are showcasing art in a range of styles from landscapes, abstracts, drawings and urban art to sculptures, digital art, portraits, still life and nature.
“This is our love letter to St. Albert for hosting us these many years. In this exhibition, you see through the artists’ eyes what St. Albert means to them,” Abdullahi said.
During the June 5 reception, large paper sunflowers hanging outside Peter Hemingway Centre on 25 Sir Winston Churchill Avenue will be highly visible to passers-by.
“They will be there to honour Pat Wagensveld, VASA’s founder, and her husband Harry who was a staunch supporter of her dreams and helped make it happen,” said Abdullahi. “Even though I didn’t know her, I can feel how influential and persistent she was."
Patricia Wagensveld
Pat Wagensveld, as she was known to friends and colleagues, was more than a very talented artist. She was a leader, a strong-willed personality with a dream to create an artist cooperative that would benefit an entire community.
As a woman, she was soft-spoken, poised and had a rare quality of persuading people to ride along without coercion or manipulation. Her determination and goodwill to enrich other artists spoke for itself.
Wagensveld’s first creative endeavour was hairstyling, a career she continued until she was diagnosed with cancer. In an odd twist, her dreams of opening an artist studio began while she and her husband Harry attended open houses.
As Harry explained, “She would look at the artwork and say, ‘I can do that.’ And she did. She registered at Grant MacEwan’s visual arts program. She then applied to the University of Alberta’s fine arts program. Out of 200 applicants, she was one of 20 accepted.”
At the age of 50, Wagensveld graduated from university while working 32 hours a week cutting hair.
“I don’t know how she did it,” said Harry. But it was this very determination that would assist Wagensveld through the growing pains of three iterations of studios.
As a visual artist, she favoured painting large paintings, but it became unwieldy to work at home.
“I went down to Grandin Mall before it was slated for demolition and negotiated a lease for a studio. There was space to work, but we were required to open six days a week. We couldn’t do that and then Helen Smith offered to share the space. More people started asking to join and soon we had 12 people at the studio. The lease was negotiated under Studio Gallery, and it was a way to split the rent and costs,” Harry explained.
More requests to join came to their attention and the Wagensvelds opted to take on a second lease at 19 Perron Street which became known as the Perron Studio.
“It was a gorgeous space and we did lots of events. The public was invited and we had wine and cheese and guest artists.”
Despite the successes, Wagensveld’s dream was to integrate all artists under one roof, but St. Albert locations were limited. The best location was the old RCMP headquarters located in the Peter Hemingway Centre.
“The city didn’t know what to do with it and there was talk of knocking it down.”
It had stood empty for years with the occasional quick rental for charity events. With the assistance of former councillor Carol Watamaniuk, a lease was arranged. The first artist showcase in May 2012 was Wagensveld’s beloved abstract sunflowers and pears. The second exhibition was an all-members showcase.
“I’d like to thank the current board and all the boards in between," said Harry. "It’s been a great legacy for Pat. To keep it going for 20 years is a testament to the hard work of everyone involved. It didn’t die when Pat died.”
