It was the late 1960s. Ingeborg Raymer was just starting out her art career when she met an experienced artist in the city who invited her along to his art group.
But the group met in Port Moody, and it got Raymer wondering: Why isn’t there an artists' group in Burnaby?
She set out on a mission, making flyers and calling meetings to gather the best creative minds in the city to start one. Forty-three people showed up to the first meeting back in 1970.
Fifty years later, the Burnaby Artists Guild has painted its way into the city’s history books – and now it’s time to celebrate.
Golden Year, an exhibition marking the group’s 50th anniversary, is running at the Burnaby Arts Council’s Deer Lake Gallery for the month of February. An opening reception is set for Saturday, Feb. 1 from noon to 4 p.m.
The exhibition will serve as a showcase of the guild, featuring work by its members across a diverse range of skills, perspectives, mediums and generations.
The guild is a non-profit organization that’s dedicated to supporting the appreciation and development of the visual arts, both among its members and in the community. It holds weekly sessions, artist demos, workshops and critiques to help develop its members’ skills.
Members are both amateur and professional artists, who work in a wide variety of painting styles and subject matter, and the guild holds two annual shows – in spring and fall – to give members a chance to display and sell their artwork.
Burnaby Artists Guild members will be in attendance at the Feb. 1 reception, and refreshments and snacks will be provided. Anyone interested in the arts in Burnaby is invited to attend.
Deer Lake Gallery is at 6584 Deer Lake Ave. it’s open Tuesdays to Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m., and admission is by donation.
For information about the exhibition, see www.burnabyartscouncil.org, email info@burnabyartscouncil.org, or call 604-298-7322.
For information about the Burnaby Artists Guild, see www.burnabyartistsguild.com.
