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Info Art '86 welcomes all artists

Originally published by The Brampton Guardian, Wednesday, April 16, 1986, written by Paul Russell, Staff Writer

Those interested in expanding their knowledge or skills in the visual arts field are invited to Info Art '86, a one-day show that will include displays, workshops and demonstrations of the latest visual arts techniques.

Taking place this Saturday at the former Central Public School auditorium at 24 Alexander St., Info Art will be the kick-off event for the newly formed organization. The group was set up to promote and highlight the artistic abilities of Brampton residents, says president Keith Moreau.

Starting at 10 a.m. and running until 3:30 p.m., Info Art will allow budding artists to talk with suppliers of materials and students from three Sheridan College art programs (illustration, animation and crafts and design). As an added attraction, a 20-minute animation film by Sheridan students will be shown throughout the day.

Free workshops will be held in a studio on the second floor. Barbara Betteridge will hold a drawing workshop in the morning, followed by a watercolour demonstration by Barry Phillips in the afternoon. Clay sculpting, ceramics and painting workshops will also be held throughout the day.

Moreau says that while educated the artistically inclined public is the main purpose, he also hopes to attract new members to the group, which now has 16 members. Graphic artists, photographers and other visual artists are welcome to join, he says, and can do so by registering at the show and paying the $10 registration fee. Space in the former Central Public School will be used by the group on an on-going basis in the future, he adds.

Artist and Visual Arts member Maggie Bol says the group "is not only for artists, but for anyone interested in art."

The group will be holding a juried art show for Brampton artists from Dec. 4 to Jan 4. Moreau says that unlike other juried art shows, which allow submissions on any topic, the theme will be chairs. "We wanted to offer something different," he explains, adding that all submissions should somehow involve chairs.

Admission to the show and workshops is free. For more information about Info Art '86 or Visual Arts Brampton, call Keith Moreau at (905) 459-2683.

Artists show work

June of 1986

Local artists will be exhibiting their works this week at Shoppers World as part of Brampton Arts Week celebrations.

Visual Arts Brampton president Keith Moreau says that 30 to 40 works by group members will be on display Wednesday to Saturday.

"We also have a slideshow of about 120 slides, showing the works of 15 to 20 artists, which will be running continuously throughout the exhibit," he says.

He adds that several of the group's artists will be in attendance at the show and the some will also be sketching there.

"It's a chance for the public to meet our members, to ask about their work, about art in general and about the group," Moreau says.

Exhibition pieces range from watercolours and oils to airbrushing, screen prints and linoblock.

Starting Thursday, the group will also present screen printing demonstrations to the public free of charge.

The visual arts exhibit will take place in a vacant store between K-mart and Pascal Hardware.

Website editor's Notes: Wow. That's old. A "vacant store between K-mart and Pascal Hardware."

Brampton artists open own studio

By Liz Turcotte
Brampton Times Staff
September 1986

Pack up the paints, brushes, canvas and creativity, because Visual Arts Brampton now has a studio just waiting to be used.

The group officially opened the studio Saturday when president Keith Moreau and the group's oldest member Maggie Solmes, 85, cut the ceremonial ribbon strung across the second floor room of the refurbished Central Public School on Alexander Street.

From it's first meeting on a snowy February night, through an art show a few months later, membership in the Visual Arts Brampton group has steadily grown to include 75 members now.

Likewise, the members' support for a common studio also snowballed, Moreau said in an interview, adding if that auspicious beginning continues the group might want to expand into another room in the future.

"We just moved in (last Tuesday) so a lot of members haven't seen the room before," says Moreau, who is also a painter and illustrator.

Visual Arts

September 1986
Photo by Jeff Bassett

Members of Visual Arts Brampton now have their very own studio. They held an opening ceremony last Saturday, with an exhibition of works by some of the group members, who now number 80. The group's president Keith Moreau, vice-president Maggie Bol (left) and secretary Kate Taylor look over some of the art on display. The new studio is at 24 Alexander St. (2nd floor, studio G) one block north of Church St., off Hwy. 10. Their next event is a Juried Art Show at the Chinguasousy Library Art Gallery at the Civic Centre, running Dec. 4 to Jan 14, based on the theme "Chairs". Applications are available at the library, or the Art Mart, on Main St., south of Church. Call 459-2683.

Visual Arts' display sets up shop in library

By Robert Muller
Brampton Times Staff
Monday, March 9th, 1987

Members of the Visual Arts Brampton have found a new location to display their work, in the auditorium of the Brampton Four Corners library branch.

Visual Arts Brampton opened the exhibition on Sunday, composed of work from the winners of their recent juried art show.

Almost all of the work, by the artists who participated in the juried art show, is being displayed for the first time. The juried show's theme was "chairs."

VAB president Keith Moreau negotiated with the library for permission to display the work, in place of some portraits of the Fathers of Confederation. Ironically, Moreau hung those very same portraits years ago when he was a library employee.

The work will be on display only on Saturday and Sunday and when the auditorium is open for other meetings and functions. These limited showings are because the volunteer VAB can only provide someone to keep an eye on the exhibition during the weekend.

Moreau said he hopes that the organization can keep displaying work in the auditorium and he would to see some money made available to keep the area staffed, so that the room can be opened for view more often.

"We can't just open it up with no one there to keep an eye out for trouble."

He said that the informal agreement means that more work of lesser-known artists can be displayed, more frequently.

The formal gallery at the Chinguacousy branch of the library, curated by Shirley Morriss, is booked up well in advance, he said.

Jack Reid poster for Brampton Air Show

Summer 1996, VAB Expressions newsletter (now Creative Urges)
Albert Seaman

The Brampton Flying Club celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this year. A major item in the programme of events will be a first class air show on July 6th. and 7th. at the club’s airfield in Cheltenham. To help promote the event, Jack Reid has produced a large painting for use as a poster. Twelve hundred copies have been printed and will be used for display over a fairly wide area. Signed copies of the poster will be available from the Pilot’s Shop at $9.95 each. Jack will be on site at the airfield on one of the days to sign copies at the same price.

The painting is generally in the style of landscape work that we have come to expect from this fine artist. But with a difference. In order to represent the fifty year span of the club’s history, Jack has superimposed the original 1946 field over the present grounds. A deHavilland "Tiger Moth" (the Club’s original trainer, and still flying) occupies the centre foreground, symbolic of the flying training programme that has always been one of the club’s principle occupations.

The Brampton Flying Club is well known for its historic aviation museum and its flight of replica World War I aircraft. This is grist of the mill of any dedicated aviation artist and well worth a visit.

Information about the Brampton Flying Club, the July air show and availability of the posters may be had by 'phoning the club at - (905) 838-1400 or (416) 798-7928.

EDITOR’s NOTE: Note that these phone numbers may be out-of-date, as the article was from over a decade ago. Best to check, before you dial.

VAB AGM approves changes to the board

Size reduced from 12 to 10 members
Summer 1996, VAB Expressions newsletter (now Creative Urges)

The Annual General Meeting of Visual Arts Brampton was held in the club premises on April 16th, 1996. The meeting was opened by club president Keith Moreau with a "state-of-the-union" address.

The treasurer's report was presented by Muriel Gray, who informed the members that the club is financially stable. Revenue was balanced by expenditures in 1995 and, with one exception, the situation is expected to continue for the current year. The exception is the rent for premises, which will increase by $75 per month. Rent will be the largest single cost item for the Club in 1996, amounting to $7,254 for the year.

As always, a principle source of income is BINGO! The importance of the efforts of those members who work the games cannot be over emphasized. Their tireless gifts of time for the support of the Club demand thanks from everyone.

Several fund-raising programmes are being planned for this year. Details will be announced as they become available.

It was put to the members that it would be more practical for the number of directors to be reduced from 12 to 10. The motion was approved and a new Board elected. Six current directors were returned for the year and four new elected.

Returned:

• Keith Moreau - President
  
• Peter Scott - Vice President
  
• Muriel Gray - Treasurer
  
• Margret Cummins
  
• Mary Taylor
  
• Eileen Sweeney

Newly elected:

• Gerri Deakin
• Janice Balesic
• Margaret Pardy
• Eva Mustafa

Details of some upcoming events, workshops and other items of general interest were given at the meeting. These are reported as a completely as possible elsewhere in this newsletter.

VAB website editor's note: Since then, the Board of Directors size has been minimized further, bingos have been replace with the youth classes as a primary source of funding, and the rent has gone up with inflation, as has anything else.

Cutruzolla nominated for Canadian Entrepreneur

1999

Honourary VAB member John Cutruzolla was nominated this year for the 1999 Canadian Entrepreneur of The Year Award. This competition, open nationally to self-made business people was to acknowledge Inzola Construction, which John founded in the 70s. He was awarded the Brampton Business Person of the Year Award back in 1993. This construction company has since expanded to a branch office in Calgary; they have constructed or expanded the Peel Heritage Complex, the Belvedere Complex, Peel Memorial Hospital, the Market Square Business Centre, as well as parking garages.

John is a strong advocate of the arts in Brampton, supporting the Art Gallery of Peel, as well as quite a few worth visual, performing and musical art associations. For these causes that he has advocated, he was honoured with the federal-level Les Carbot Award for most art and culture contributions to a community, and the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Confederation of Canada.

3rd Annual Children's Aid Studios of Distinction Show and Sale

From the VAB Expressions (now Creative Urges) newsletter

Artists Bridget Aube-Doughty (right), Olga Rudge (below), Keith Moreau, Scott Taylor, Elizabeth Patrick, Chandra de Silva, Maria Carosi and Steven Wilson were all on display at the third annum of the event.

This year, Visual Arts Brampton decided to create its successful line of thirty-one different art cards, showing most of the artwork on display during the exhibit. Marian Simpson and Marguerite Finlayson were also on the art cards, although they didn't display in the show.

Overall, there wasn't much sales, as usual with this tour, but there was an increased awareness of this group and the artists on exhibit.

Congratulations! (Great Grandma's Rocking Chair)

Autumn 2001 issue, VAB Expressions (now Creative Urges)

Long time member Carol Biberstein has a book being published. After months of work her efforts are paying off with the publisher's acceptance of this beautifully illustrated and pleasant story about a Grandmother's rocking chair.

Visual Arts Brampton board members unanimously agreed to nominate Carol for the City of Brampton's Arts Acclaim Award which goes to artists who achieve on a provincial, national or international level. The annual awards ceremony will be held in the Lester B. Pearson Theatre early in 2002.

She has illustrated for other books and publications in the past but this is extra special because it is entirely hers.

Well done Carol!

Artists make the grade

A photograph from the Brampton Guardian, by Bryan Johnston, published Friday, November 23, 2001

John Ramlall and Matthew Daley (back row, left to right), both took home silver awards while Elizabeth Patrick and Adrianne Houston (front, left to right), along with Chandra de Silva (not shown) took home the gold at this year's Visual Arts Brampton juried show. The exhibit continues at Art Way, located on the lower level of the Bramalea City Centre, until Friday, Nov. 30 at 6 p.m

VAB's 15 Year Anniversary

Just the start of a legacy.
THOUGHTS FROM THE PRESIDENT
by Keith Moreau

From Visual Arts Brampton’s formation in April of ‘86, we have changed and evolved. In our first five years, at our old location, we had a single room with storage space. For almost a decade now we’ve had our beautiful multi-faceted facility which includes complete with drawing and painting area, printmaking areas, and a computer graphics and animation space.

With the start up of a youth division in 1998, the group evolved to serve even more of our community. As of April (our anniversary month), we will further expand our youth division by adding an overflow class. This makes heavy use of our facilities for most Saturdays of the year.

In order to accommodate the computer graphics and animation area, we needed to encroach on the printmaking space. One of our screen printing tables was dismantled and converted into our computer stations. We would like to see more use of our printmaking facilities, and more active use of our studio in general. We commend two of our board, Gerri and Marg for providing the twice monthly open studio time.

A timely decision to acquire storage space has provided a more open drawing and painting area, by allowing storage of our horses during non-peak periods. The screen printing screen storage rack was also moved into the storage space.

As you can see from the list at to the right, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays are well used. But the rest of the time, our studio usually sits empty. So the board would like input as to what workshops and/or sessions you would like. Take note that we are offering adults a chance to explore the creativity of art through computers. This 6-week workshop is listed to the right.

In our formative years, we staged events like Infoart, Gold Mine '89 (a silent art auction at the Art Gallery of Peel), and our annual juried art exhibit. A silent art auction at the gallery would now require a rental fee, and our juried show died with the loss of our community gallery. But region, through the Art Gallery of Peel, now provides a small community exhibit space.

In April of 1998, Visual Arts Brampton launched City Centre Exhibit Space in Bramalea City Centre, which by the year end, moved to a new, current location, and is now known as Artway. These community exhibits garner a much larger audience than the space we lost and creates an awareness of our group, and all that we offer.

Carol on Craftscapes
A VAB member on the Life Network.

Craftscapes, a Life Network program hosted by Sue Warden will feature Visual Arts Brampton member Carol Biberstein on October 25th. Check your local listings for more details.

Note, this article is from 2002. However, it is likely the episode is still in syndication.

Safety Mural revealed

A detail of Keith Moreau’s mural, in pen & ink stage, before it was coloured.

Article created March 12th, 2002; revised Saturday, May 25th, 2002

A detail of Keith Moreau’s mural, in pen & ink stage, before it was coloured.

On March 11th and 12th, VAB youth gold medal winners Jennifer Cuthbert, Amber Menezes, Ilichna Morasky and Nicholas Moreau were chosen to colour one of two safety mural designs for Bramalea City Centre (BCC).

The designs, painted with pen & ink by VAB’s Keith Moreau, were coloured by these four Coca-Cola design winners during the March Break. The don’t do murals, are shown outside Sears on the second floor and on the second floor near Canada Trust. The coloured mural is to be unveiled May 16th, between the Brampton Transit terminal and the lower level mall entrance. This event was front page news on The Brampton Guardian on Friday, March 16th, 2002 in their Weekend edition.

Folk festival partnership, Update

Drawing practice sessions led to thoroughly unexpected sales for our artists, by editor Nicholas Moreau.
Saturday, May 24th, 2003, VAB Expressions (now Creative Urges)

As you may have read in a previous column, Visual Arts Brampton teamed up with the Brampton Folk Club in March. The still life, Crea8tif, open studio and youth sessions all had the opportunity to draw and paint from wind and string folk music instruments.

Also, artists had the opportunity later on to draw from the musicians themselves, in the evening Crea8tif sessions. The musicians went so far as to entertain us playing some of their song while they posed.

Both of these sessions were ment solely to let our area artists challenge themselves on new subject matter; this challenge was well appreciated by both parties.

After some of the portraits were displayed at Artway Exhibit Space, in Bramalea City Centre, some of the musicians fell in love with the pictures, purchasing them. Leo Salvador and Mary Noble both made a sale a piece to different musicians, and Eileen Sweeney sold two of her portraits. -NM

Brampton Arts Council Art Student Award at Helen Wilson Public School

Helen Wilson alumni presents award
July, 2003, VAB Expressions (now Creative Urges)

On behalf of Visual Arts Brampton and the Brampton Arts Council, member Nicholas Moreau presented the Brampton Arts Council Art Student Award for Helen Wilson Public School to Jacob Pranger.

Nick is a Helen Wilson alumni himself (graduating class of 1998), and was excited to have the opportunity to present the plaque to this member of the graduating class. However, he was slightly thrown by the emcee’s introduction, which claimed there was two winners of the award this year, contrary to the truth.

Most years, club president Keith Moreau has handed out the award. The Arts Council is an umbrella group to Visual Arts Brampton.

Juried Show by Greenbriar

Encouraging the community in artistic endeavours
July, 2003, VAB Expressions (now Creative Urges)

Run by students of Greenbriar for many years now, the school’s juried exhibition, was shown in the Art Gallery of Peel again.

The Visual Arts Brampton Board of Directors authorized the group’s donation of $25, just as in previous years.

This annual show lets the Grade 6-8 classes organize, hang, juror, promote, and otherwise completely run their own exhibition. This year’s event was again held with two other school participating.

The Animation Exploration Club News, 1st half of 2003

AWN, Emslie among highlights
Monday, August 11th, 2003, VAB Expressions (now Creative Urges)

Animation World Network, quite honestly the web’s best resource for animation news and information, now lists the Animex Club.

The world comprehensive Animation School Database now lists information on our group, and links to our main page.

Disney picture book and promotional material illustrator Peter Emslie was invited to give a talk to students on character design. His informative and entertaining talk on March 31st was very much appreciated.

Moving On to Higher Education
On to Humber and U of T

Monday, August 11th, 2003

Each year, we have the pleasure of announcing students going off to higher education. This year is no different.

Next year, Jason Rocha will be attending Humber College and Stephanie Czolij will attend the University of Toronto.

Peter Emslie guest teaches for VAB

Illustrator comes to the youth classes
Monday, August 11th, 2003, VAB Expressions (now Creative Urges)

Disney story book illustrator Peter Emslie taught each of the three youth classes character design, over a span of four weeks over a five week period.

In these classes, students first followed along with step-by-step instructions to create famous Disney characters, then learned how to make more effective emotions the following week, creating animal characters the next, and ending off with caricatures.

As a special treat to the students, they got to win Peter’s drawings, through a raffle drawing at the end of each week’s class. While they were working on mini-assignments, Peter even created extra sketches as prizes.

If you’re into the studio, you may see some of the portraits he drew in with the students in their half-hour opening portrait exercise.

Thanks Peter!

Sesqui Section: Albert Seaman

Sesquicentennial artwork website
Monday, August 11th, 2003, VAB Expressions (now Creative Urges)

Albert Seaman’s new website is certainly worth a gander, just to see all of Albert’s great artwork online. In addition to the normal site, he has added a quite interesting Sesqui section “devoted to features of Brampton's development over the past 150 years.”

http://www.albertseaman.com/

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