This weekend for the second time a range of female lakecity artists are coming together in support of Dance In Common dance studio.
The last A Visual Dance Art Show was hosted back in November and was successful enough that Corrine Stromsten and other involved artists decided to put it on again this Saturday from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Artists will once again be on hand to showcase and sell their art, with many donating 25 per cent of all purchases towards funding dance scholarships.
This all-female group, by happenstance once again, is made up of local artists Christina Mary, Sarah Graham, Sarah Sigurdson, Brittany Murphy, Emily Stromsten, Bethany Shoults and 2019 Stampede poster winner Tiffany Jorgensen. Sigurdson and Jorgensen sat down with the Tribune to discuss the upcoming show and what drives them as independent artists.
Sigurdson, a local mother of three, just got back into painting recently in November and enjoys hanging out with Jorgensen in her studio. Her recent works have been inspired by street art, with a more contemporary, colourful and vibrant style.
READ MORE: Dance in Common hosts A Visual Dance Art Show
“Sometimes it’s hard to put into words how you feel about things and you can’t describe an emotion (with words) and give enough credit to it. So it’s nice to express it in a different way through art and have other people feel something, it’s such a beautiful thing when someone responds when they look at your art,” Sigurdson said, explaining her love of visual arts.
This is Jorgensen’s second time participating in A Visual Dance and she is excited to take part in it once more. Herself a single mother of three, Jorgensen has been painting professionally for about the last 18 years.
For her, Jorgensen said she loves the diversity people bring in both creating and interpreting emotion-based art, or any for that matter. Whenever she’s approached for a commission, it’s often something personal be it a portrait of a loved one, a passed on animal companion or a scene from their childhood.
“When you give someone a painting that means enough to them they’ve had someone commission to paint it, everybody cries but happy cries. It’s such an amazing feeling to bring that and be a part of it,” Jorgensen said. “We’re so lucky to be able to do this, we just make sure we have the time to do art.”
Both Sigurdson and Jorgensen said that the diverse range of artists coming together for this show are a great group. In fact, as most of them are either current or former dance mom’s, Jorgensen said the group often feeds off one another’s energy and bounces ideas off one another to create new art.
“There’s a crazy range of diversity in the artists,” Jorgensen said. “We’re all very passionate about what we do.”
“It’s kind of a beautiful community,” Sigurdson added. “We’re kind of each other’s cheerleaders.”
Last time Jorgensen said it was really cool for her and fellow artists to interact with community members and discuss their various pieces and the techniques they use. She’s hoping that for the show coming up this Saturday that even more people come through to view their art and talk to them about it.
READ MORE: All-boys class brings fresh new energy to Dance in Common
This time around, however, the art show will not just consist of the paintings, sculptures and other pieces by the visual artists, but also incorporate the dance element of the show’s venue. Dance In Common’s senior students, in addition to serving food, will be doing an improvised dance routine at 8 p.m., Jorgensen said.
The catering company that previously provided food for the event, Mint and Lime Catering, was something Jorgensen said everyone raved about after the show meaning it was a no brainer to invite them out to the follow-up. The food and appetizers created by these “culinary wizards” will be served by the dancers, Jorgensen added.
“It’s kind of like a feast for all the senses: the tastes, the smells, the music and the dancing. There’s great art to look at. It’s kind of an all-inclusive show,” Sigurdson said.
Tickets are available at the door for $15 with all proceeds from the night going towards funding dance scholarships in the community. “I know a lot of people have a hard time finding healthy, mind-expanding things to go to in Williams Lake. It’s something new, different and casual,” Jorgensen said.
“It’s something rare for a rural-type community, too. This show has a ‘big city’ feel,” Sigurdson said. “I think it’s a rare opportunity to meet the artists behind the Facebook pages. It’s kind of nice to meet people in the community and have people meet us and get to know us.”
Do you have a comment about this story? email:
editor@wltribune.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
