When Papergirl heard about the event and its efforts to inspire creativity in the community - in a non-traditional way - we of course were enthused and happy to share it!
Read on for a interview with Erika Lax, a member of Opus's marketing team.
Erika Lax: Vancouverites can expect a fun day making art outdoors, a feeling of community involvement, and the satisfaction of sharing such an event with artists all across the province.
Sign in begins at 10 am on May 10th, 2014. At sign-in, registered participants will receive a free 9"x12" canvas-board from Opus, and a map of the designated painting zone for that store. They'll take their canvas-board out for the day, along with their own supply of paints, pencils, markers, pastels, or whatever they want to use to make their art-piece with, and return to the location they registered at, with their finished piece, by 3pm.
Each location will have onsite experts within their painting zone to offer assistance and advice, including Ross Penhall, Michael King (S.C.A), Rod Charlesworth, Listel Bjorck from Gamblin Artist Colors, Jim McFarland (A.F.C.A), Sheree Jones (F.C.A), Dave Denson (F.C.A), and more. There are also $1000 in prizes up for grabs! You can visit our website for more details.
The Outdoor Painting Challenge happens rain or shine, so participants will want to keep that in mind when they're preparing for the day as well.
PGV: Why do you think something like the Outdoor Painting Challenge is needed in Vancouver? How did you come up with the idea for the challenge?
EL: The Opus Outdoor Painting Challenge was created from the desire to bring art and the art-making process into view in communities across BC. The hope was that we could inspire more families, individuals, groups of friends, and artists of all levels to come together and participate together in a challenge such as this has become.
EL: People can sign up by phoning the Opus Art Supplies location they wish to participate at, or drop by the store and register in person. Organizations can participate by letting their members know about the event through their news channels and encouraging their members to register with whichever Opus Art Supplies location they'll be signing in at. You can visit our website for more details on the locations.
Really, everyone is welcome to participate in the Outdoor Painting Challenge – it is about getting everyone outside to make art, no matter their age, ability, choice of medium, or point of view. We even encourage people who are out of range of one of our stores' painting zones to participate – send us a photo of yourself, your outdoor set up, and/or the art you created, and we'll post it online with the photos of the days events. Gather your friends and/or family together, pack a picnic and your art supplies, and make a day of it!
PGV: How do you think the Outdoor Painting Challenge is helping to build community or engage community in Vancouver?
EL: The Outdoor Painting Challenge is a really special event. It's about creating art, creating community, and it's about sharing both of these things. A lot of times, people may feel removed from their community, or feel that art is something that has to be done in a studio or indoors, and this event brings art outside, makes it visible to the community, creates a conversational starting point for some, and encourages the act of painting and art-making. When people are out around town making art, it can also invite conversation with passersby, and that brings even more in the way of community connection.
PGV: Why were you drawn to Papergirl Vancouver?
EL: We were drawn to Papergirl Vancouver because we feel it embodies the "art-in-the-community" spirit that we hope to promote, and because Papergirl is about bringing art into the streets, too (which we totally condone!). It also may be a fun event for Papergirls and Boys to make art to contribute to the 2014 Ride Out. Basically, Papergirl seems like a perfect fit with the Outdoor Painting Challenge. (PGV: We couldn't agree more!)
EL: Something tells me that the future of the Outdoor Painting Challenge looks very bright. We've had an incredible response from previous years' participants (rain or shine), and my guess is that this event will keep on growing as an annual challenge. The best way to see how it evolves will be to join us each year! Watch for Outdoor Painting Challenge 2015 information early next year, and be sure to get involved!
This year, our goal is to have over 1000 people join on May 10th. But beyond the numbers, the true goal of the Opus Outdoor Painting Challenge is to inspire people to make art, to take their art-making practices outdoors, to share their techniques with interested passersby, and to build a strong art-making community across BC.
Lets get this WHOLE province painting!