About 400 pieces of art work in a vast variety of mediums will be on display and for sale at the Juan de Fuca Seniors 55+ Activity Centre this weekend.
Saturday and Sunday, the activity centre will be filled with art of all types, produced by its members.
Co-ordinator Vonnie Simpkin said that members work in water colours, drawings, acrylics, paper tole, sculpture, wood carving, fibre arts, photography, stained glass and other mediums.
Simpkin figures this about the fifth art event at the centre and they happen every two years.
Each one is bigger than the last, said Simpkin, and this year, with a newly constructed expansion, will be by far the biggest art show yet.
Half the fun of the event is for the members to see what other people have been working on, Simpkin said.
“They enjoy seeing what is actually produced by people who are there, people that they’re having lunch along side of or somebody they may play bingo with,” Simpkin said. “There’s other sides to people.”
Simpkin, a retired nurse, does water colour painting and said it’s interesting to see people from such a variety of backgrounds try their hand at art and “let loose that other part of them.”
Some people end up finding an incredible talent they never even imagined they could have.
“We learn from each other,” Simpkin said. “Nobody claims to be expert, we’ve got some pretty expert people though.”
Admission to the art show is by donation, with all of the profits, plus a portion of what the artists make, going back into the activity centre for maintenance and the running of programs.
The centre, run entirely by volunteers, has about 1,100 members and runs a wide range of programs for its members.
All of the centre’s art programs, which include instruction, are free for its members, except for materials, which Simpkin said encourages a lot of people who might not otherwise try art to give it a go.
“That’s really an important thing. Everybody should be able to just get a chance to do it.”
Lunches and snacks will be available for a minimal cost. The entire show is wheelchair accessible.
When & Where
-The Juan de Fuca seniors art show runs Saturday, April 28, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, April 29, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the senior’s centre, 1767 Island Highway, next to West Shore Parks and Recreation.
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