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Burnaby Artists Guild holds 50th anniversary exhibition

Deer Lake Gallery will host the Golden Year exhibition for the month of February, kicking off with a reception on Saturday, Feb. 1
Burnaby Artist Guild, artists, Burnaby
Clockwise from top left: Ingeborg Raymer and Hazel King at Ingeborg's Government Road studio in 2010, when the Burnaby Artists Guild was gearing up for its 40th anniversary celebrations. The late Ingeborg Raymer (who died in 2015) was the founder of the guild; Featured artist Elena Surayeva at the Burnaby Artists Guild annual spring show in 2016; The Burnaby Artists Guild’s spring show and sale at the Shadbolt Centre in 2015; Visitors check out the work at Fresh Paint, the Burnaby Artists Guild spring show and sale at the Shadbolt Centre in 2014; Marjorie Wong displays a winning mask she created for the guild's Visual Arts Masquerade in 2005; James Koll sketches a portrait of Sara Leo at Fresh Paint, the Burnaby Artists Guild spring show and sale at the Shadbolt Centre in 2014.

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 [email protected], or call 604-298-7322.

For information about the Burnaby Artists Guild, see www.burnabyartistsguild.com.