Editorial

We Can Always Get Better!

ARAS teachers participate in a Professional Development workshop in music for preschool children, led by Lois Lillienstein from Sharon, Lois & Bram

I like to think of the Avenue Road Arts School as a living, breathing environment which is constantly evolving. As with any living system, it must be nurtured in order to grow. And, as with any organization in nature, the relationships among the working parts need to be alive and healthy. We are always looking for ways to improve ourselves and ideas for improvement are welcomed from any part of the organization – instructors, staff and students. This is why we solicit and value feedback of any kind.

ARAS has always been committed to ensuring two things above all – the safety of the students and the quality of instruction. To this end, teachers are required to upgrade their first aid skills on an annual basis, and, in addition, professional development courses are offered at the school every few months. There are always ways of improving, no matter who we are or what we do. We welcome your suggestions.

Lola Rasminsky, Director

Faculty Shows & Info

A Thing of Beauty, with work by Diane Hamilton, Gallery 611, March 7-April 4, 2004.

University of Toronto Thesis Course Exhibition, with work by Lauren DiMonte, Gladstone Hotel, March 19-28, 2004.

Lola Rasminsky will be giving a piano recital at the First Unitarian Church, 175 St. Clair Avenue West, Sunday, March 28, 2004, 3 pm. Tickets (a $10 donation to Arts for Children of Toronto) must be reserved in advance at (416) 927-0896.

International Biennial, with work by Sadko Hadzihasanovic, Pancevo, Serbia, May 28, 2004.

Future King of England, with work by Sadko Hadzihasanovic, Paul Petro, June 4, 2004.

Ongoing Exhibition of Paintings, with work by Jennifer Hinrichs, RedEye Studio Gallery, Distillery Historic District, Wednesday to Sunday, 12-5 pm.

Student Exhibits

Gallery Event, with work by the Adult Arts Group students, Avenue Road Arts School, March 27, 6-8 pm and March 28, 2-4 pm. Admission is free and refreshments will be served. Please come and bring a friend!

Mixed Media, with work by Julie Galloway's Mixed Media classes, and Christa Rowley's Science Art and Around the World classes, Avenue Road Arts School, April 5-30, 2004.

Once On This Island Jr., book & lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, music by Stephen Flaherty, performed by the Musical Theatre II class, mid-June (date and venue TBA). Free tickets through the school, available beginning of June.

ARAS Students Exhibit Their Work

Presenting your artistic creations to the public is difficult for someone who has never done it before." It's not easy to put together a coherent body of work, write a proposal and then call up a few galleries and say 'I would like to show off my efforts'," declares Ingrid Masak Mida. That is why it's magnificent to have the support and advice that can be found from all of the Avenue Road Arts School instructors. While taking Daniel Hughes' Landscape Painting course, Ingrid came up with the idea for her first solo exhibit displayed at the Bluff Gallery titled, Faces and Fashion Through the Ages: A Celebration of Women.

Joanne Helman, who once worked as an art buyer, decided to become a professional painter after taking a few of John Viljoen's Master Classes in Figure Drawing and Portraiture. She started exhibiting her work at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition with a composition completed in John's class and, as she explains, "it snowballed from there." Joanne is with three different galleries including: the Whistler Art Gallery, Brush and Gallery 133.

Many students say they would never have made the leap to being exhibiting artists if it weren't for the courses taken at ARAS. Moira Clark's Further Into Watercolour class gave Patricia Howard the discipline and structure she needed to participate in a show with two others called Triple Play, held at Northrop Frye Hall, U of T. Most of Patricia's paintings in the exhibit were done under the careful tuition of Moira who, she describes as, "a wonderful teacher."

For Plum Johnson a few classes lead her to win the People's Choice Award at the Art Gallery of Peel's Juried Exhibition in April 2000 and now she's busy completing portraits by commission. In addition, artists who have already established a practice before attending programs at ARAS have managed to steer their work in new directions by applying what they have learned from our teachers.

As a carver of 12 years working in both marble and alabaster, Cornelia Krikke started taking Martha Johnson's Working With the Figure course to spend more time referencing the human body. She wanted to keep building up comfort with the figure, for as she puts it, "it is much easier to make mistakes with paint than with stone." Albert Slark, a book cover illustrator, took classes to refresh his memory and get back to the fundamentals of art. Soon after, he received a commission from the U.S. Postal Service. His portraits of notable celebrities such as Spencer Tracy and Bette Davis will be appearing on stamps starting this April.

It takes motivation and confidence to be involved in either an independent or group exhibition. The Arts School has a committed group of instructors who, in their classes for adults, have helped to guide many artists through some of what Ingrid calls "very tough steps."