The Estevan Art Gallery and Museum is going to have a pair of short-term artists in residence this month, who will be furthering their practice while reaching out to people in the community.
Ruth Langwieser and Sarah Timewell started their residency on Oct. 9 and will continue until Oct. 25. Each will split their time between community events, meeting with aspiring local artists and working on their own projects.
Amber Andersen, who is the curator-director for the EAGM, said this will be similar to other artist in residence initiatives in the community. Southeast District for Recreation, Culture and Sport provided funding for these two positions.
It’s the first time the EAGM has had an artist in residence for some time. The Estevan Arts Council has had such artists in the past, most recently Diana Chisholm in 2015-16.
“This is an opportunity for us,” said Andersen. “Our focus was on a newcomer artist and an Indigenous artist.
Langweiser is a Swiss–Canadian ceramist who arrived in Estevan in May of this year.
She has already held a ceramics program with Tourism Estevan on Oct. 9 and a clay lantern class on Oct. 10, in addition to an independent practice session on Oct. 10 in which people could come and talk to her and watch her create her art.
Other activities include independent practice sessions Oct. 11, 15 and 18.
“My passion for working with clay began 1990 when I visited a traditional Majolica – manufacture in Umbria, Italy,” she said in her artist statement. “This discovery changed my life. I moved from the German part of Switzerland to Geneva to study ceramics at the Academy of Applied Arts.”
Her forms reflect themes from her daily life, and are influenced by the type of clay she had chosen to work with. This can be yellow or white stoneware, and different types of porcelain.
“Sometimes it seems to me as if these beasts had chosen me to appear and we have to tame each other. Therefore, I place them into all kinds of different environments. This process can take several years until their right presentation is found.”
Timewell will guide the Family Art programs on Oct. 17 and 24, and will lead evening workshops on creating botanical silhouette canvases on those two dates as well. An independent practice session will be on Oct. 23.
Timewell, who is of Métis and Hungarian ancestry and originally from Vancouver, has recently completed a bachelor of fine arts in Indigenous art at the First Nations University of Canada in Regina. Although she enjoys working in many mediums, her focus is on Indigenous fine arts and drawing.
Her present effort is continuing to develop her knowledge and connection to the historical and cultural arts of the Métis and Cree peoples of Turtle Island.
In addition to reconnecting with lost culture, her last few years have been spent gathering knowledge, consulting with community members and researching Saskatchewan Indigenous medicinal plants.
“She enjoys sharing her findings through technical drawings and stylized beaded works on leather and fabric,” her bio states.
Timewell is involved in the artistic community in Regina through sitting on multiple boards, and attending artist talks, gallery openings, and career development sessions offered through SaskCulture and the Saskatchewan Arts Board.
Her intention is to continue to hone her technical skills, learn new techniques and grow in her cultural knowledge so that she might share this knowledge with the next generation.
The two artists will be at the EAGM’s Halloween Haunt on Oct. 19, starting at 3 p.m., and a reception on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m., when they will present artwork that they have been working on during their residencies and discuss their other projects.
