Canal Street Art Gallery opens Free Community Art Studio

Canal Street Art Gallery presents: the Community Art Studio, providing a free-to-use space within the gallery, including artist grade supplies, for the public to make art while overlooking the Bellows Falls Canal. Following a successful fundraiser to keep the program, The Community Art Studio is now permanently open. All ages are welcome to use the studio on a walk-in basis during gallery hours, Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00am to 5:00pm. Join the gallery for 3rd Friday Gallery Night in Historic Downtown Bellows Falls, Vermont, from 5-7pm on April 19th to celebrate the opening of the studio along with a Patreon crowdfunding campaign to be launched in support of the ongoing costs to keep the studio open. Artwork made may be donated and hung on the walls of the program. Donated artwork is then mounted and delivered in clear sleeves by mail as rewards to supporters of the program. Artists also have the option to mount and take their work home with them in a clear sleeve, allowing visitors to create finished pieces ready to transport and frame.

The Community Art Studio Program is inspired by the success of incorporating an art making table within the Charles W. Norris-Brown Distant Thunder Studio exhibit. During this unique exhibition, visitors of all ages were inspired to make art in the gallery by using Norris-Brown’s supplies, and being surrounded by his work. Currently, the Community Art Studio Program is open in the Working Artist Program space and is provided by Canal Street Art Gallery and the Charles W. Norris-Brown Estate.

The creation of this program directly addresses a need and desire for additional and financially accessible creative outlets, communicated to the gallery by its friends and neighbors. The space is well equipped and art supplies include graphite and charcoal pencils, ink pens, Sumi ink, oil pastels and watercolor paints. A professional variety of watercolor and ink wash brushes, along with palettes and drawing tools are provided. Visitors may choose to work on Bristol board, drawing, watercolor, or rice papers. The program plans to add acrylic, acrylic gouache and pastel paints, cold wax and matte mediums, collage supplies, primed boards and primed canvas. Inspiration may be taken from the landscape, other artworks, a variety of unique objects, a collection of art and design books, and experimentation with the art materials themselves.

The gallery accepts donations of new or unused (only) artist-grade art supplies, and preowned professional artist studio furniture during regular hours, Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

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