A youth created and run organization, The Now and Again Art Collective was formed to make arts more accessible to youth in the community.
The 19 year old founder of the collective Alex Dombroski didn’t get into art until recently, as she referred to herself as a ‘total academic in high school.’ She later started doing art after graduating as a form of stress relief.
“While I was at university I spent a lot of my time painting,” she told the PNR.
She recently formed the Now and Again Art Collective to be held at McTavish Academy of Art.
“It’s main goal is to try and make art more accessible especially to youth and more so youth that don’t live in big city centres,” she said. “There’s a lot of art community but its kind of for old rich white guys …” she said with a laugh.
She said she wanted art to feel a lot more comfortable and accessible, because growing up, she said one of the reasons she didn’t get into art was because she wasn’t very good and didn’t have that natural talent.
“I think just growing up I hated walking into art galleries and feeling like I didn’t belong because I’m kind of a scruffy looking kid so I want to make a place where kids can come and be like ‘am I interested in art?’ and walk in and see people who are comfortable and feel like they want to belong there.”
She said she wants to encourage that the point of art is to create not to look good, adding that the future goal for the collective is to hold a lot of events, all by donation.
Donations will go towards creating lessons (pay what you can lessons) by professional artists.
The first event will take place on Aug. 24 called Lemonade Summer, which Dombroski said is a homage to growing up in small towns and selling lemonade on local street corners.
Taking place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. the event will be a showcase of all kinds of art and music at the McTavish Academy of Art.
There are around 15 artists who will displa their work, with much of it up for sale. All proceeds going to the artists themselves.
Although making her move to Vancouver soon, Dombroski will be bringing the collective with her, but hopes it will inspire more people to create more things like it on the peninsula.
The event is by donation.
