Sunday in the studio

By Reem Kodmany

More than 30 people a week are turning out for the Art Gallery of Windsor’s “Sundays in the studio” – a family friendly program that has been helping participants create their own masterpieces for nine years running.

“It’s a very family-friendly art making program,” said Chris Finn, Curator of Education for the gallery. Finn explained the program invites local artists to lead three-hour workshops in a variety of mediums.

“They prepare different activities for each weekly session,” Finn said, adding that the underlying theme – fine art and Canadian art – aligns with the gallery’s current exhibition.

This month is dedicated to creating jewellery in class led by artist Kathryn Pasquach. In March, participants will be painting with Lynn Newman, and in April George Rizok will be helping attendees young and old create their own comic books.

“It’s engaging for the children to be here, it’s important to have extracurricular outside of school,” said Kathryn Pasquach, who led a similar class last year. “It’s a confidence booster for children when they’re coming in not knowing how to  do something and they leave with a finished project along with smiles on their faces.”

Participation is subsidized by a private sponsor and included in the gallery’s admission fee.

In addition to their Sundays in the Studio program, the Art Gallery of Windsor has regular temporary exhibition programming along with a permanent collection of more than 4,000 works of art dating back to the seventeenth century.