By Sheroog Kubur, November 2 2022—
On Nov. 6, a new way to display art will be making its debut in Calgary. Dave Renton is a relatively new artist and wanted to create a space where he and others in his position could share the work they’ve been creating. To achieve this, he elected to hold an art show at the creative hub at cSpace King Edward, a hub available to the community to foster an appreciation for visual art.
The show will consist of 10 local artists, including Renton, showcasing and selling their work for the day. Artists include abstract painters like Brittany Neumann and Jennifer Patzer, artists who explore femininity and the feminine form like Cassie Bratton and artists who use mediums other than canvas, like airbrush aficionado Rhino GrafX.
“It’s an opportunity for local artists to showcase their work and hopefully sell some of it,” said Renton about the event. “We tried to bring together a group where some of them have shown their work and some of them haven’t.”
Renton attributes social media to being able to put together the lineup for the show. It includes a range of artists exploring various styles and approaches to their art. The artists range from offering custom paintings to only displaying them but the show will be an opportunity for them to share their work with a wider audience.
“The [cSpace] King Edward has a really cool space and I like keeping it a little bit smaller, probably only about 10 artists — that way you have good variety but you also have time with each artist and you’re not rushing through the event,” said Renton about the event.
While Calgary has a plethora of galleries showcasing different exhibits and pieces on a regular rotation, there are few in the city dedicated to highlighting local artists. Renton hopes that this event will bring a light to smaller artists and further empower the art community.
“I grew up in Calgary — 20 years ago if you asked me if Calgary had a culture I would have said probably not,” Renton remarked when asked about what makes this event significant for the local art community. “Art and the art scene probably wasn’t important to a lot of people here, but I think it’s growing and I think it’s important we have that.”
The future of the show is contingent on the success of this event, where Renton hopes to make this a more regular series.
Admission to Dave’s Big Art Show is free and the event is taking place on Nov. 6, so for those who happen to be passing through Calgary’s downtown area this is certainly something you shouldn’t miss.
