Next weekend's Culture Days activity at Angell Woods promises to be a naturally beautiful affair, said the Beaconsfield art teacher who is putting the event together said recently.
"Angell Woods is absolutely full of the wonders of nature and if you just take time to admire it, you realize what a special place this is," said Deirdre Potash, who has been teaching art to kids and adults alike for years and who has worked at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for 30 years. On Sunday, from 2 to 4 p.m. kids and adults alike are invited to Angell Woods (the parking lot sits opposite the Beaurepaire train station) to take part in a drawing activity inspired by nature.
Well, technically, the event is set for the grassy area immediately adjacent to Angell Woods, because the woods themselves are technically off-limits to the public after owners of some of the land put up no-trespassing signs earlier this year.
Potash said the potential for artistic inspiration at Angell Woods is tremendous.
"Every time I come here, the vegetation is different," said Potash, who visited with her dog, Rocky, Friday morning. "Once, I came here in the fall and took pictures of the leaves in fall. Then, I went into a school and the kids created pastel renderings of the photos I'd taken," she said.
For Sunday's activity, Potash will supply the paper, coloured pencils and markers. All participants have to bring "is their imaginations and themselves," she said. Potash added that such cultural and artistic opportunities are important for young people given the dwindling amount of art being taught in schools.
"The first thing to go is always the art teacher," she said.
Other Culture Days activities being held in the West Island include a Sunday guided bus tour of Pointe Claire in English, with two different excursions being held at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Reservations for this event can be made by calling 514-630-1220. Guided tours of Stewart Hall Cultural Centre will also be held Sunday, with a 1 p.m. tour in English and a French-language tour at 4 p.m. The city will also host a bilingual 'draw for fun playtime' at Stewart Hall fore kids aged five and up and the Lakeshore Weavers Guild and the Claycrafters Pottery Studio will host hands-on open studios from 1 to 5 p.m.
