Stampede’s popular Visual Arts Show opens

By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on July 23, 2024.

asmith@medicinehatnews.com

The Cypress Centre opened its doors Monday to a host of paintings, sculptures and other artistic endeavours as part of the ongoing Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede festivities.

“We’re here from the beginning of the first day of Stampede all the way till the last day of Stampede, in the Fireside Room and the Sierra Room,” said Laura Kennedy, director of the Visual Art Show. “We are open from noon till eight o’clock every day.”

This year saw 244 pieces from adult artists, and roughly 100 pieces from local youth.

“It’s a little down from last year,” said Kennedy. “We never know why it’s up or down. Art is a fickle thing that way.”

The show contains works from various mediums, including paintings, fibre arts, graphics and printmaking, sculpture, pottery and glass and children’s art, and is made possible by a board and a large team of volunteers who collected, labelled and hung the hundreds of pieces.

Awards were given to artists in every category on Monday, alongside a monetary prize, said Kennedy.

The show is free to attend for anyone on the grounds, and shares the centre with the Better Living Show. Kennedy encourages Stampede-goers to take advantage of this and see both shows, as an opportunity to see the creativity and skill of other residents.

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