Townsite’s Studio 56 has been selected to host an Art Battle competition set to take place in 30 cities and towns across Canada.
North Salish Sea artist, and punk-rock singer for The Abbie Hoffman Society, Laura Balducci and Studio 56 impresario Shane Bodie, campaigned successfully to bring the live national event to Powell River.
In each participating community, local organizers host a three-round live painting competition featuring up to 12 professional and emerging artists from their local community.
“The audience votes for the winners of each round, thus choosing the single winner of each event,” Bodie said. “It’s an interesting and highly interactive process where the audience will get to participate.”
Winners of Art Battle events will advance to compete in regional championships and will be a part of a yearly nationwide tournament that includes winners from 65 Art Battle Canada regular season events. The regional competitions will be held monthly in 12 cities across Canada from September to June.
Bodie and Balducci teamed up with Malaspina Arts Society and Tone Gallery Artz Supply Store on Cortes Island to bring the event to Townsite. “Powell River is the only city in BC hosting an event this year,” Bodie said. “The community stands to get a huge amount of national exposure.”
Art Battle Canada has been promoting Canadian artists through live painting competitions since 2009. The upcoming fifth season will see more than 100 events and 1,600 original artworks created and sold to collectors across the country.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity to expose Powell River talent to the rest of the country,” Bodie said. “It has certainly never been done before here on the Sunshine Coast. The winning painter will earn the right to compete in the 2014 National Championship this July in Toronto.”
Competing at the event are Sunshine Coast artists Jane Dow, Adam Cramb, Ted Cronie, Cindy Dilts, Jennifer Taves, Lyla Smith, Tess Kashetsky, Joyce Furness, Blake Drezet and Matt Kalevi Klasen.
In July, winners of each Art Battle regional final will compete at the 2014 Art Battle National Championship. Two-time champion Yared Nigussu of Vancouver will defend his title against the provincial winners. One painter will be chosen by audience vote as the 2014 Art Battle National Champion. Art Battle will take place at 2 pm on Saturday, May 10, at Studio 56.
