NEW HOME FOR PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND ARTS AND CULTURAL COMMUNITY

The Kier Gallery board of directors has been working on a new home for the gallery as well the further development of an art learning center. We have made an offer on the Kays Brothers Wholesaler properties on lower Queen and King Streets in Charlottetown and hope to be successful in our bid. This property consists of three buildings and will create studio, retail, and office spaces with a focus on developing a strong cultural workshop economy.
We are involved in discussions with CADC the City of Charlottetown as well our partners in the arts and cultural industry and will be updating members as the project develops.
We are in the development stage of the project and are looking for input and participation from the community, no idea is crazy and all help is appreciated.
Have a great day
Kier

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FUNDS TO ASSIST STUDENT FROM GHANA

APPEAL FOR HELP WITH TUITION
Godwin Kumah was a participant in a Canada World Youth exchange program and resided in Charlottetown from September to November 2008. While here he worked as a volunteer at the Prince Edward Home and for other volunteer organizations such as the Friends of the Confederation Centre and the Joe Ghiz Memorial Park.

Godwin is a recent high school graduate and he has been accepted into the Holland College Business Management program. Due to high unemployment and low wages in Ghana he is unable to obtain funds for his tuition and he is not eligible for student loans.

Godwin is a hard working, trustworthy young man and all who have met him agree that he is a special young man. We wish to assist him in this endeavour.

Kathy Roney, his Canada World youth Host Mother has guaranteed to provide housing, meals and transportation free of charge for his two years of study.

We are appealing to you to join us in this endeavour by making a donation to help pay for his first year tuition. After six months he will be able to work part-time and full time during break periods so he will be able to pay for his own tuition second year.

If you are able to help please make payments to Kier Gallery re Godwin Kumah. Tax receipts will be issued for any funds donated.
Kier Gallery
PO Box # 2214
C1A8B9
Charlottetown P.E.I.

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF LIFE DRAWING IN CHARLOTTETOWN

The Great George Street Gallery was the first location for weekly life drawing sessions. Later sessions were held in each of the relocations that like the Queen Street Fish Market did not always reflect the name of the insItution. The Gallery In The Guild was for a time used for weekly drawing sessions but this was later moved to the upstairs hall of the Guild building.Other events and exhibitions continued to make this location unstable for weekly drawing. Paula Price was involved with booking of models at that time. Dispite some of the problems with the use of the Guild Hall, it was wheelchair accessible and we have never since had a location that did provide easy access to artists with mobility handicaps.
It wasn't until the mid 1990's that the life class moved to Marshall Studio on King Street. The new location was shared with a pottery group and was next door to City Cinema. Irvin Marshall was giving art instruction to students from UPEI at the time. One of the most notable artists to meet with us on Wednesday night sessions was Elizabeth Hutchison who has since won a scholarship to study at a New York College and now has her MFA in Drawing. She was just one of many fine painters and printmakers who dedicated those hours per week to drawing. Those of us not so well gifted learned much from just watching such people work. Unfortunatly it became necessary to move again when both the main tenants of the studio could not afford the rent.

"Rose of the Island"
by Karl MacKeeman, ANSCAD
drypoint orginal plate
In the exhibit in the Holguin City Gallery she was listed as a floral subject. She was indeed a beautiful flower.

After a search for another location we settled on the Art Loft at 102 Queen Street on the second floor. This was bringing us back again in the neighbourhood of the Arts Guild. It was a smaller space but well equipped with a model stand, a changing room , lights and a sound system and we had brought the sketch horses from the other studio with us. Merlin Gallant used the location as a photo studio and we found that it made a good exhibition space as well. Our exhibition there was called "Life At The Loft: An Exhibition of Figure Drawing" and the opening was well attended The Art Loft changed hands and Cheryl Wilson, another local photographer and part-time sketcher took over the rent of the space. Art lessons and exhibitions helped the space to full-time use but as the century neared it's end we were looking once more for a new location. The proprietor of Kier Gallery at 132 Richmond Street kindly donated his gallery space for our use on Wednesday nights to that this has been the location of our figure drawing session at the dawn of the 21st Century. Thanks to the support of Kier Kenny we were able to embark on a "Life Study" sessions every 2nd Saturday at 1300 hrs. to 1730 for the purpose of colour work in oils, acrylic, watercolour and pastel. Also detailed charcoal, conte, graphite and colour pencil could be made taking more time than was permitted on Wednesday night sessions. There was a lot of dedication back then. We had all hoped that "Life" could continue.
Life did eventually come to an an end! The present Guild charged a rent that was unaffordable with the other expenses. Attendance in the last years was up and down and not consistant enough to leave funds for properly paying the models. So life at last came to an end without a suitable base. It was something that brought the visual artists in the community together. In other cities it would have been the role of the local arts guild, University, art school or public gallery, but here in this town we had to do it ourselves. Let's hope life can continue in the future.

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