The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Kelly Carrington Staff Writer Local artists are taking this week very serious at NORVA Center and learning more about themselves through their own art. The adult group is being mentored by Dean Bauche, a well known artist from the Battlefords area. The artists are working closely with Bauche to improve their knowledge and skills of the painting medium. Bauche retired two years ago from the Galleria in North Battleford where he spent 22 years in an administrative role. Though he was able to use his artistic ability, it wasn't until the last two years that he has been more free with his talent. Bauche arrived in Flin Flon and met with the group on Monday. 'The first thing we actually did was sit down and talked about where (everyone was) at and what we saw ourselves doing,' he said. As a mentor to the NORVA Centre artists, Bauche was later able to sit down one-on-one to discuss the artwork with the artists. In the group setting, Bauche said he spoke to them about the different elements, with respect to the arts and mentorships. 'There are artistic aspirations, but also...we have to be able to understand what we want to bring into our art,' said the mentor. Getting to the grass roots of the individuals' art pieces and what they see for themselves, Bauche says 'by separating some of these things out, it's helpful for us to be able to reexamine what we want to do.' Betty Fitzsimons is a resident artist who took the program with Bauche. 'I think it's wonderful,' she said. 'I think it's a chance for growth.' Paint being her main medium, Fitzsimons says the program was 're-inspiring.' 'It's giving (me) new ways to grow.' As a mentor Bauche hopes to draw the inspiration out of the artist that is sometimes lost. 'A lot of times I think artists forget what is important fundamentally to our art,' he said, 'what their life experiences are and what they bring to it.' The mentorship was open solely to adults, however, the workshop being held this weekend will feature some of the younger artists of the community as well. The week-long mentorship takes more than just willing to learn, said Bauche _ making adults better candidates for the course. 'The trick, of course, with the mentorship program is that it tends to be something that you identify that you're ready for,' said Bauche. '...you have to work up to being mentored by somebody because so much of mentorship is having a real itching and yearning to know that you want to develop and grow. 'It's not like a teaching situation,' he said, 'where someone comes in and just teaches. It's where you take the initiative, where you examine, where you work through the process of where you want to go.' See 'Ment...' on pg. 14 Continued from pg. 1 Geared at the older resident artists, Bauche's hope for the mentorship is that the residents he helps this week will be able to help others in the community. Through what he calls a long distance residency, much like ones he has set up in the Battlefords area, the NORVA Centre will help others in the community. 'Hopefully by the time I leave here, we will have a plan,' he said, noting there should be both short and long term plans. 'I tend to be someone who likes to formalize or give someone structure to what we're doing.' Bauche will leave each of the artist with roughly three pages of points to look over to get them focused on where they want to go. The mentor wants to see where the artists need to develop. Some artists, he says, will want to develop in areas like critiquing, where others will want to develop other mediums, or public appearances. Through the pages 'you get an understanding of what you want to do short term and long term,' he said. Once Bauche leaves Flin Flon, the artists may appear to be on their own, but they are only a click away from the mentors help and guidance. The artists will be able to Skype with Bauche as well as send sketches and questions via e-mail on a monthly bases. 'We (can) talk about how it is going and what sort of stuff they are running into,' said Bauche. The mentor will make another visit in the Fall, which Bauche says gives some artists comfort in knowing. But while he is still in Flin Flon, the mentorship program will continue to open the minds of the artists. 'I think that to some extent...what I do is I create structure and the reality is that by having somebody involved in your artistic career, there is not only structure but expectation.' Bauche says expectations come from every direction, and not just from others. 'You have expectations yourself.' Bauche says those expectations will also come from others within the artists when he leaves. '...we're deliberately (doing) the mentorship program because in my absense...each of them have their own vision, their own struggle and their own aspirations.' The NORVA Centre will hold a workshop tonight and tomorrow, with artists coming from The Pas as well as other areas to participate. Resident artists that took the mentorship program will be able to help others through the workshop as well.
