Young Okotoks artists are putting their work out there on Saturday.
Students of the Inspiration Studio Academy of Fine Art (ISAFA) are offering their work up for sale at the Youth Market and Christmas Party Dec. 17 from 12:30-3:30 p.m. at the Okotoks Elks Hall.
“Creative kids often don’t get events, visual artists don’t often get that opportunity because it’s often just a personal thing,” said ISAFA founder Robin Thibodeau.
“They work with a lot of different stuff, you’ll see multimedia sculptures, paintings, drawings, jewelry."
The 20 young artists, students of ISAFA, range in age from seven to 17.
“Some of them have been with me a longtime and some of them are brand new,” Thibodeau said, adding the sale is another component of their growth as artists.
“They can learn to display and market and learn that their skills are worth showing.
“I like to put on a show and teach them things they may not realize they’re learning, like how to be comfortable in public, how to display their work and get it out there.”
Artists can often be introverts, Thibodeau elaborated, and often focus on their chosen medium more than the economic and social side of being an artist.
“With visual artists we tend to be isolated and insular from the world outside,” she said. “That’s sometimes why kids give up on arts – a lot of times nowadays we’re stuck in our screens and stuck in our own little worlds.
“It’s easy to send pictures from your phone but a whole different thing when you’re selling stuff out in the world.”
Marking her art school’s 10th anniversary, Thibodeau is also calling the event her ‘Tin Foil Anniversary.'
“I looked up the traditional items you would give a couple for a 10th anniversary and it’s tin,” she said. “I thought who would give a couple tin?”
There will also be a selfie station at the event with props.
“I made a bunch of giant art supply props, so I’m bringing those down and we’ll have a photo booth for selfies,” Thibodeau said.
While admission is free, patrons can make a donation to Heaven Can Wait Animal Rescue Foundation to enter in a draw for a prize basket.
"Kids love animals and tell me how much their animals mean to them,” Thibodeau said. “So I’ve collected a whole bunch of stuff from local businesses for a prize basket, and to enter you make a donation to Heaven Can Wait.”
That donation, she added, can be monetary, or in the form of a new pet item that could be of use to the rescue.
