Red Deer Polytechnic Arts

Join us Thursday for a Free lantern making workshop! All are welcome! Open to the public and all ages!

Our second year sculpture students will be guiding a lantern making workshop between 4:00pm and 6:30pm. We will be using rattan and tissue paper mache techniques to build sculptural lanterns. This workshop is in celebration of Alberta Culture Days and is sponsored by Red Deer Arts Council

The workshop will take place in the Forum, outside of the Tim Hortons on the Red Deer Polytechnic campus.

See you there!

It's all in the poster folks!

Open to the public! Swing by the forum (by the Tim Hortons on campus) and make a Lantern with us!

To celebrate Alberta Culture Days and sponsored by Red Deer Arts Council we will be teaching folks how to make lanterns using rattan and tissue paper papier mache techniques.

Our Second Year Sculpture students will be there to teach and support!

This event is linked with a light parade happening on October 30... stay tuned!

First Art 1101 of the year is only two days away!!

Bring your lunch to the Margaret Parsons Theatre Friday at 12:00pm. Bring your pals for a bag lunch date and enjoy hearing about Trudy's creative practice!

All are welcome!

Next up as we showcase our Artists in Residence this summer is Glynis Wilson Boultbee!!

At almost 70, I'm filling my retirement years with art making and writing. I'm based in Red Deer and work primarily in sculpture – mixed media with a focus on found and repurposed objects. I create a poem for almost every visual piece I make. The poems I write affect the art I make, and the visual art inspires the writing. It's an alchemical process that I find really exciting!

This summer I've found myself exploring some unexpected avenues. I've been working on an altered book which includes ekphrastic poems inspired by the paintings of Marc Chagall that will probably also include some collage work down the road. I've also been learning about perfume packaging because of a visit to an exhibit on Egyptian civilization in Victoria, BC. And I've been working in bronze because of a two-week Summer Series course I took in July at RDP.

My main goal as an Artist in Residence was to continue my preparation of a body of work that I'll be showing in May of 2028. This involves an exploration of my roots through the deconstruction of the family grandfather clock and an old lobster trap. I've been figuring out how to use the various parts of both objects as I've reflected on my own grandfathers (whom I never met), as well as my Maritime and Celtic heritage.

Facilities or resources in the RDP studios that have helped me achieve my goals include the foundry, of course, and wood working tools. Mostly I've very much appreciated that being an Artist in Residence has kept me focused on my artistic goals. My favourite studio snack? I'm a rule follower so I don't snack in the studio!

What do I know now that I wish I knew as a student? I was a writer first. When I started my visual art studies (at the age of 56), it took me a while to reintroduce writing into my creative process. Over time, I've figured out how to combine writing and visual art in ways that I find enchanting. As a result, I feel my work in both areas is stronger.

Check back in over the next week as we celebrate our summer Artists in Residence!

Over the summer Artists take over our studios either through various Summer Series courses or more recently the opportunity to work independently as Artists in Residence. If interested for next summer, DM for more info!

First up! Say hi to Kasie!

1. My name is Kasie Campbell, and I am a visual artist based on Treaty 6 Territory. My primary medium is textiles, including soft sculpture and crochet. More recently, I have been focused on translating what I love about soft sculpture into more permanent and durable materials, particularly bronze.

2. For the past 11 years, I have worked primarily in soft sculpture and crochet, taught to me by my late mum and now passed on to my two daughters. My research explores motherhood, personal experience, and my matrilineal lineage of makers, while investigating how to translate the softness and materiality of fibre into more permanent and durable materials suitable for public art opportunities without compromising the qualities that make the work meaningful to me.

3. My goal as Artist in Residence was to dedicate focused time to completing the bronze pieces I cast this year through the Series Summer Arts lost-wax bronze casting program. This was my fourth year attending, and in previous years I have often found myself rushing to complete the work. The additional studio time allowed me to slow down and experiment more intentionally, particularly with different patina techniques, which resulted in a much bolder use of colour than I had previously achieved. I also wanted to properly photograph the finished work, an essential for exhibition and grant applications but difficult to do without access to a proper studio or photo booth setup. The residency gave me the time, space, and resources to bring the work to a more finished and resolved stage that is ready for exhibition!

*see comments for more conversation with Kasie