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For more than 50 years, local artists have displayed their best works at the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede. And the popularity of the Stampede’s Visual Arts Show shows no sign of waning, judging by the nearly 400 entries received this year.
“The artists really appreciate it,” says Visual Arts Show coordinator Evelyn Kleis. “A lot of people wouldn’t be able to show their work publicly without it. Every year, we have people come in who are quite tentative, because they’ve never done this before, but a friend has convinced them that they really should be showing their work.”
The Arts Show has both a children’s and an adult’s component, and accepts everything from photographs to pottery to oil paintings, acrylics, and watercolours.
“What we’re noticing overall, even in the children’s art, is the presentation,” Kleis says. “People are taking the time to mat and frame it and it really ends up enhancing the work.”
The pieces are judged by experts in the field — trained art professionals, retired high school art teachers, a member of the Saskatchewan Arts Council, etc. Kleis says the quality of the judging means artists get constructive feedback on their work.
“They’re treating it seriously,” she says. “They’re looking for real elements of art — not just what makes a cute picture.”
Medicine Hat photographer Kelly Matson received an honourable mention this year for her photo “Ghosts of the Past,” portraying a woman wearing an elaborate carnival mask. It was the first time she had entered the Stampede show.
“I found it very interesting,” Matson says. “It was the first contest I’ve ever entered. I’ve done several exhibitions with different galleries, but this was the first contest I’ve done.”
Matson’s young daughter also entered a painting in the show, and Matson says it was a great thing to do together.
“We really enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun, and it was a great experience to do it together with my child,” she says.