Skip to content

Events planned for EAGM’s 40th anniversary

The Estevan Art Gallery and Museum (EAGM) has a couple of events planned for next month to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
EAGM building pic
The Estevan Art Gallery and Museum

The Estevan Art Gallery and Museum (EAGM) has a couple of events planned for next month to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

The first is a meet-and-greet potluck on June 13, when the organization will introduce five new board members and connect with artistic people in the community.

 The EAGM board consists of chairperson Amber Ganje, vice-chairperson Tyler Perry, secretary Kathryn Gillis, treasurer George Sereggela, and board members Ryan Bohlken, Monica Elson, Byron Fichter, Lauren Klatt, Josh LeBlanc, Steven Siroski and Terry Williams.

All artists, artisans, crafters, and/or creative individuals are invited to attend to enjoy good food and conversation.

“With 40 years behind us and some staffing changes as of 2018, we are looking at how to best serve our artistic community,” said EAGM director-curator Amber Andersen. “We are looking to hear feedback about how we can get you further involved, what you enjoy about the art gallery and ideas about what you would like to see offered in the future.”

Andersen said the board wants to reach out to other in the community.

It’s also a good opportunity for Andersen to reconnect with creative individual Estevan.

Those who wish to attend the potluck are asked to RSVP in advance, so the EAGM has enough food for everyone.

The other event is a joint project that was organized by the Dunlop Art Gallery in Regina. Called Roadside Attractions, it is a project working with numerous galleries in the province.

“Working under the Dunlop, we came up with the idea that Saskatchewan is a place that’s very much driven by the need to drive,” said Andersen. “We are a network of small towns, but you still need to drive to get there. We were talking about some of the fun things that get you going to these offbeaten places.”

Each gallery is working with an artist to create a commissioned piece that references the geography, people or places of the community. The EAGM will work with visual artist Alison Norlen, a renowned artist who is based out of the University of Saskatchewan.

Andersen said she has been looking to collaborate on a project with Norlen for some time.

While Estevan is known for mining, electricity, oil and agriculture, Andersen wanted to explore some of Estevan’s more unique historical elements. Among those facts is that Estevan was home to the first Dairy Queen franchise in Canada.

After a fire caused significant damage to the Estevan DQ in 2012, Andersen noted that a number of ice cream stands popped up in the community to fill the void, which she believes is a reflection of the popularity of the snack in Estevan.

Once Norlen heard of the project, she was on board. She will be on site at the Estevan Exhibition Association’s domestics show during the Estevan Fair on June 19 and 20. The public will be invited to see her and an assistant create a project. Free activities will be offered for children.

“She is actually going to be building a 20-foot spilled ice cream cone out of corrugated cardboard,” said Andersen. “And then the idea is that it’s built at the fair, and then it’s actually going to be moved here on site as one of the roadside attractions.”

It’s not meant to be a permanent part of the EAGM, but it could be at the building for an indefinite period of time.

Norlen has also created a huge exhibition of works, Eccentricities, that will be at the EAGM. An opening reception will be June 15.

“These are going to be floor to ceiling drawings,” said Andersen. “They’re going to cover the entire gallery. She has also created a motorized, not life sized, but fairly large Ferris wheel that she has welded herself, which is quite interesting.”

The EAGM will also hold its annual garage sale from July 5-7, and its annual summer arts camps for youths starting the second week of July.