Art Club happens on the second Tuesday of the month through the year. It happens on Zoom, from 7pm to 9pm UK time (that’s 11am to 1pm Canada NW Territories for those joining from there!). A theme / prompt is given at the start, then everyone goes off Zoom to make, and then we come back on to the zoom to show / share (only if you want) process and things made.
Art Club is convened by Sue Palmer with artist Joff Winterhart and has been running most months since May 2017. Art Club used to run in person at the Edventure Hub in the Welshmill in Frome, but now it is online with the odd live session.
If you’d like to join, email Sue for the Zoom link or to ask any questions, plus add yourself to the monthly enews reminder.
Some months, especially July and August, Art Club has a rest. The monthly enews always says what’s happening, and shares some of the things made from other Art Clubs.
Art Club Timings
6.55pm Sue opens the Zoom – arrive online
7pm – Intros – who’s with us & theme / prompt set
7.15pm to 8.35pm – Make make make – 1 hour and 20 mins offline
8.35pm back on the Zoom – Showing / sharing what you made, as you wish
9pm – Bye!
If you want to make, but don’t want to come onto the Zoom, then the prompt / them is shared by Sue on Instagram.
History of Art Club
Joff and Sue have been pals for many years, and both are completely keen on art. Joff introduced Sue to the artist nun Sister Corita Kent way back, and Corita became one of the inspirations behind starting Art Club – one of her rules being ‘everything is an experiment’. Moving back to Frome, Somerset in 2016, Sue wanted to start an experimental art making space as a way of overcoming her fear of mark making – Sue works mainly as a performance maker but visual art is so compelling. Art Club would be open to artists and non-artists just as a place to experiment and make without having to have any outcome.
Art Club Ethos
These are things to remind ourselves of:
* All abilities – you don’t have to be an ‘artist’.
* The idea of Art Club is to have time to experiment, make, and mess around with some materials to see what happens, maybe something you don’t normally think of making or have the time to make.
* Get whatever materials you feel like, ready for 7pm.
* We use an inspiration to get us going – a theme – and each person can respond as they want.
* Let the theme inspire you but don’t worry if you go off somewhere else. It’s just a way of starting.
* Get some books about art or by other artists or something you find on the interweb, for inspiration / reference.
* If you get stuck, copy something / someone else for a while.
* You can make just one thing or a few versions or just experiment
* Take your time
* It doesn’t have to be finished or even good and you don’t have to like it.
* You can often free yourself from some constraints in the last 10 minutes of Art Club – watch out for that last minute thing and don’t hold back!
* You don’t have to keep your work, you can just recycle it.
The only rule is make!
The original Art Club poster from 2017!
Sue Palmer - artist, maker, producer 