Sarnia Arts and Crafts Club marks 100 years with centenary exhibition
Sarnia Arts & Crafts Club is holding a Centenary Exhibition over the next eight days to celebrate the group’s 100th anniversary.
But it is not quite the club’s 100th exhibition.
‘There was a pause for the war years, when such gatherings were forbidden,’ said club president Liz Potter.
‘But we even managed to run through Covid and just managed to avoid the lockdowns.’
Hear more about the Sarnia Arts & Crafts Club’s exhibition on this month’s Guernsey Press Arts Podcast
The exhibition showcases the best of the club members’ work over a vast array of disciplines, from oil painting to pottery and leather work.
‘The quality of our members work is outstanding,’ she said.
‘The exhibition looks amazing and members have excelled themselves again with a huge array of fabulous entries.’
Ms Potter has been involved with the club for over 10 years and president for the last two.
‘It has been an incredibly busy year for the club,’ she said.
‘But we are not just looking back, but forward too. Especially with the digital art one brushstroke project, it has been so embraced by the whole island.’
The project saw 13 paintings created, each depicting an aspect of island life, with the unique twist of having been digitally painted on an iPad in an array of colours by thousands of different people, who added their own brushstroke to the project.
She added that the exhibition may be the last time the 13 paintings could be seen side by side.
They will be displayed digitally at the new Creasey’s store, but a lot of the originals will be now going out to some of the schools and organisations that helped produce them.
Creaseys is a fitting venue, as the first club’s first exhibition was held in 1924 in a space above what is now its High Street department store.
As well as the exhibition, the club is running workshops and demonstrations on a whole range of subjects from gelli printing to needle felting to decoupage.
And Ms Potter hoped people coming along might be inspired to become more involved and join the club.
‘Our 100th celebrations have already brought new members,’ she said.
‘But we are always happy to hear from anyone with an interest in the visual arts who wants to join our friendly and supportive club and help the arts thrive in Guernsey.’
She added that especially wanted to thank sponsors Arc – Asset Risk Consultants.
‘We really could not put on the show without them. We are tremendously thankful for their ongoing support.’
The exhibition starts today and runs until Sunday 27 July at Blanchelande College. It is open from 10am to 4.30pm daily.
