Supporting and Engaging Youth in the Arts through the Guelph Arts Council Youth Opportunities Award

By Ahmri Vandeborne

Guelph Arts Council is currently accepting submissions for the Youth Opportunities Award, a fund dedicated to supporting youth in the arts by initiating, enhancing, or expanding opportunities for children and youth to experience or become engaged in the arts. Having been initially established as a result of the financial success of Youth in Performance presentations that Guelph Arts Council sponsored between 1980 and 1990, additions to the fund were made over the years, including being extended to graduating Guelph high school students. The award was briefly discontinued from 2005-2009, and re-established through funds generated from Guelph Arts Council Youth Opportunities Fund at The Guelph Community Foundation. The deadline to apply this year is November 15, 2020.

Embroidery Basics Example from 2019 Recipient Workshop. The Guelph Tool Library

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Dot Painting for Beginners – a new online course!

By Roxana Bahrami

Guelph Arts Council artist member Roxana Bahrami has a new online course and welcomes all to sign up to experience empowerment, fulfillment, and enjoyment through a hands-on online course.

Join Roxana and learn Dot-Painting through the “ Dot Painting for Beginners – Online Course “ to help your mind stay focused and grounded. The process of dot painting helps you explore self-expression, personal self-esteem and new coping skills. 

Applying dots on a small canvas – an image from the online course!
Image provided by Roxana Bahrami.

Through the meditative repetition of applying dots to a surface, your mind remains in the moment.  The online course will introduce you to Dot Painting, teach you the techniques, and guide you to create beautiful pieces that will give you a sense of accomplishment and self-satisfaction.

Learn how to create mandalas. Image provided by Roxana Bahrami.

Watch this video to hear from the creator of the course and find out more about it.

In this video Roxana explains the reasons behind making this online course

You don’t need any background in drawing or painting, no age limit and in fact, no need for expensive and comprehensive art supplies.

Discover and activate your creative mind by learning the art of dot painting. Check it out the Dot Painting for Beginners Course today!

For more information, visit Roxana Bahrami’s site at  https://www.roxanabahrami.com/

Art - a Solution for Grief, Self-Care and Re-birth for the BIPOC Community

By: Fan-Ling Suen

A conversation with Kween, Guelph Dance’s Artist in Residence and Executive Director of the Guelph Black Heritage Society

Kween holds an artistic residency for 2020/2021 with Guelph Dance to expand her creative ideas for the Black Community through dance. Within the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and Person of Colour) community, she advocates for the rights of African and Caribbean people as Executive Director for Guelph Black Heritage Society and works closely on anti-racism training, social justice and policy change.  Kween was the leader of Guelph's June 6th Solidarity Protest in support of Black Lives Matter protest and uses her platform to educate her community and elected officials.

To learn more, Guelph Arts Council interviewed Kween over Zoom to ask her a few questions about her dance practice, the value of art in communities and her advocacy work with the Guelph Black Heritage Society and the BLM movement.

Kween, Guelph Dance’s Artist in Residence, Executive Director of the Guelph Black Heritage Society and owner of The Kween Company and The Heels Academy in Guelph. Image provided by Kween.

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How and why to create a LinkedIn page for your arts business

By Jane Litchfield

If you’re an artist/maker/performer and you think LinkedIn isn’t for you, you might want to think again. Most creators use Instagram and Facebook, but the problem is “every artist is there. LinkedIn has less competition, and you can show off your process the same way.”

That was the message from , at a recent workshop GAC and 2H Media co-presented along with the Business Centre Guelph-Wellington.

Herchel says LinkedIn is lacking creativity. “It’s a wall of people in suits. If you’re painting, playing a guitar, or decorating something, it jumps off the page.”

Hershel points out that LinkedIn is free and it will connect you with people with disposable income and corporations with budgets for art and workshops. “On other platforms you’ll get likes and followers; on LinkedIn you’ll get buyers.”

Matthew Herchel, co-founder of Guelph marketing agency 2H Media gives advice in a recent
GAC workshop on how and why to create a LinkedIn page for your arts business.

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