By Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery

New Attractions

Puppet-Making and Wood-Carving: MAG to host local Artists-in-Residence

Jul 12, 2021 | 10:56 AM

The Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery (MAG) is welcoming two local Artists-in-Residence this July as part of their exhibit programming for “A Prairie Vernacular: Folk & Contemporary Art Narratives of Life On the Canadian Prairies”.

All visitors can visit multi-disciplinary artist Matt Gould and watch as he creates puppets from a variety of artistic processes each afternoon from 1-4 pm on July 13-17. Then from July 20-24 they can visit wood-carver Linda Shantz as she whittles wood folk-like houses, faces or animals each afternoon from 1-4 p.m.

Their temporary studio will be setup in the Gaetz Library located in Heritage Square next to the museum in downtown Red Deer. Visit www.reddeermuseum.com for more info on the exhibit and its related programs.

“Artist-in-residence programs give artists the opportunity to work outside of their usual environments,” says Lynn LeCorre, Education Coordinator at the Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery (MAG), “providing them with space to produce work, and an opportunity for the community to learn an artist’s process.”

Matt Gould is an award-winning multi-disciplinary artist with a solid grounding in theatre and the visual arts and has exhibited all-across Canada. For the past twenty plus years, he has been concentrating his practice on textiles and in the spring of 2020, he started up the Red Deer Puppetry Collective, a theatrical group which seeks to “poke the bear” wherever and whenever it can!

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About Linda: Carving Artistry in Wood – Linda realized her talent following a course in Bark carving during a Junior Forest Warden campout. She was delighted with the first results and continued to carve bark from black poplar and improve her skills. Soon her carvings became recognized for the expression she was able to create in faces, and the intricate detail carved into each piece. She continues to win awards and acknowledgement throughout North America. Linda has expanded her carvings to include birds, animals and masks. She enjoys instructing and especially enjoys the reward of encouraging youth to develop artistry in wood.

A Prairie Vernacular examines historic and contemporary representations of the vernacular in artistic practice on the Canadian prairies, considering the relationship of folk art to contemporary art produced in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. This exhibit is on display at the Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery until August 16, 2021. Free to visit.

The Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery works to be central Alberta’s leading establishment for the research, collection and presentation of visual art and material culture that is related to this region. The MAG is a vibrant and inclusive gathering place for our community and its exhibitions and programs promote the enjoyment of art, culture and the history of central Alberta.