Jazz, art and St. Albert’s French heritage will collide on Saturday night for a unique fundraiser that is sure to leave both patrons and participants breathless.
Ă©cole La Mission will host Jazz’Art, starting at 7:30 p.m. Put on by the SociĂ©tĂ© francophone des arts visuels de l’Alberta (SAVA) and L'Association Canadienne-Française de l’Alberta (ACFA) de Centralta, the touring fundraiser will give everyone, French or English, the chance to watch local artists paint up a storm while listening to some of the best in local jazz music.
“It’s a nice evening for people to listen to jazz, take a drink and if they have a painting they would like to have, they can have it for not too much,” said ACFA development agent Cathy Pellerin.
But it is the painters themselves who will be the true stars of the show as Doris Charest, Jacques Martel, Sylvia Grist, Nathalie Shewchuk-Paré and Karen Blanchet hustle to create four original pieces each within the span of three hours. All five artists must produce two paintings during the first 90 minutes of the event, which will be auctioned off during intermission. They must then complete two more before the end of the evening.
All funds raised will go to two different activities — one regional “genies en herbe” competition hosted at Ă©cole La Mission April 19 and 20 in which groups of French students compete in a quiz-format tournament, and a scheduled June hockey camp for French-speaking participants.
But there are rules to observe at Jazz’Art — patrons can watch the artists but they should not speak to the artists while they are painting.
“That is a problem most of the time. People ask, ‘What is your inspiration?’ If [the artists] take time to explain their inspiration, that will be the last Jazz’Art they have,” said SAVA director GisÄŤle Boutin Desjardins.
Musical guests include Pierre-Paul Bugeaud, Bill Richards, Brett Miles and Gord Graber.
Jazz’Art was originally started in Edmonton to raise money for the Art Gallery of Alberta, but now conducts anywhere from four to seven shows across the province on an annual basis.
Charest, whose mixed-media pieces have been featured locally at Art Beat and the Art Gallery of St. Albert, is no stranger to the travelling fundraiser. She has taken part in other Jazz’Art events in Edmonton, Lethbridge and Red Deer.
“Usually at the same time you’re painting, people are walking around and occasionally asking questions so you really have to focus,” Charest said. “So whatever time you have, you really have to concentrate on whatever task you decide.”
Charest, who works in acrylics, ink, watercolour and collage, said she prefers drawing her inspiration from the musicians themselves, but admitted that can be difficult depending on where her workstation is situated.
“Sometimes you can see the musicians better than the others and if they aren’t really in your line of sight, sometimes you go with whatever inspiration the music gives you,” Charest said.
A silent auction will run in concert with the painting. Ă©cole La Mission is located at 49 Heritage Drive.
