The History of the Contemporary Art Society
By Kathy
Richards
Our group began when two friends, Pauline Manning and Jill Field
Alexander,
got together after the Nova Scotia Society of Artists disbanded and
decided
to start their own group in March of 1973. About 25 people showed up,
many
of them established artists. Pauline became the first president, Jill
the
first treasurer and Tom Bauld agreed to help make up an official
charter
with a set of rules about how the society should be run.
One important factor was that each member be an active and
participating
artist; no matter what their skill level. The main purpose of the group
was
to bring the artists together and provide stimulating contact to
challenge
and encourage each other to develop their creative abilities. At each
meeting they strived to accomplish this endeavour by various means,
such as
each member painting their own interpretation of the same subject
matter and
then showing and discussing their work, watching films or working to
music
and even live dance rehearsals.
Our first annual show was held in September 1974 at the School of
Architecture on Spring Garden Road and it opened with some very
positive
reviews in the local papers. There was a wide range of mediums, styles
and
subject matter as well as different degrees of skill/
What does it take to keep such a group going and thriving for 30 years?
Over
the years there have been many shifts varying core members and changing
views; however, the basic concept along with the support of the
artistic
community has always remained strong throughout. As with any society,
each
member's contribution has been and continues to be critical and
essential in
creating as well as influencing the outcome of the group's future. With
such
a solid beginning, thanks to members such as Pauline (who sadly passed
away
in 1975), Jill, Tom and the many other artists who first supported the
society, it was off to a fabulous start. Their enthusiasm and
willingness to
put so much energy into the society has inspired those who have
followed to
take up the society's principles and incite one another to continuously
strive for the next level in their creative endeavours.
As we all know, (or I believe we should) some of the best artists in
the
world reside in Nova Scotia and many of those, over the years, have
come
from the Contemporary Art Society "family." They have all contributed
and
instilled their version of "art" within the society as well as having
it fan
out throughout the artistic community in Nova Scotia and beyond. The
artists, too numerous to mention, should be congratulated and take
pride in
their contribution to the society and to the community as a whole.
The Contemporary Art Society celebrated its 30 year birthday in 2004.
