Nataliya Bukhanova
The first phase of the project “Painting a Book of Edmonton,” which is led by a group of multicultural artists in cooperation with Writers Beyond Borders and the Borderlines programs, launched on January 24, and the free exhibit will run on weekdays at Arts Habitat until February 21st.
“This [idea] was gathered together in one meeting about three or four months ago, and [the Multicultural Artists’ Group] started to think about ideas for our winter exhibition,” recalls lead organizer and visual artist and writer Nataliya Bukhanova. “It just came up, because it is connected with our city, and it is a thing that we all have in common: we live here; we have some thoughts or ideas or emotions about Edmonton. So it would be very interesting and exciting to paint.”
What originally started off mainly as a visual arts project expanded to invite other artists to the table.
Maitham Salman
“Then I thought that it would be very interesting to connect artists and writers, because I’m also a member of Writers Beyond Borders, and I know there are brilliant artists there, and they have very big difficulties to get noticed,” Bukhanova shares, adding she was also a member of the Borderlines Writers Circle at the Edmonton Public Library. “So I wrote to Writers Beyond Borders [and] to Borderlines program, and it had huge and enthusiastic response from them.”
The artists, who come from countries such as Lithuania and Iraq, explored aspects of the city of Edmonton using various media and art forms to create a book with pages that will reflect night and day, sadness and laughter, summer and winter amongst other themes.
The gala launch of the “Painting a Book of Edmonton” exhibit drew 60 attendees.
“It’s really good - in general, [people] liked [the exhibit], and they were willing to help and willing to participate,” says Bukhanova. “We actually got a few new people through this project asking if they could participate, be part of our group – and of course I said yes!”
Ruta Nichol
Bukhanova, who studied classical art and visual arts on top of medical school in Russia, is eager to share opportunities with other newcomer artists through the Multicultural Artists’ Group, as she faced challenges of her own when she came to Canada in 2007.
“When I came [to Edmonton], I had classical [arts] education, but I didn’t know how to promote visual arts, how to promote myself as an artist, and how to connect to other people. It took two or three years before I started to notice art societies and art festivals and art galleries in existence and how to get there.”
Three or four years ago, Bukhanova came up with the idea to gather newcomer artists to provide the platform to connect them to opportunities. The Multicultural Artists’ Group was launched a year and a half ago.
“[There are] a lot of talented, brilliant people out there, and they’re all disconnected. Often when they come here they don’t know how to continue their career and where to start and where to go and they don’t know about all the opportunities that exist in Edmonton for artists.
The positive response that “Painting a Book of Edmonton” has received so far has inspired Bukhanova and the artists involved in the project to do more.
Maria Reidyk
“It is a good idea, and it would be a pity to just stop it. So probably we may publish a book; probably we may show it to some other venues; probably we can do something like online presentation or electronic book.”
Despite original challenges of finding her way around in the arts community in Edmonton, Bukhanova is appreciative of the City’s support for the arts.
“There’s lots of possibilities for artists: arts festivals and arts projects. I really like the programs of Edmonton Arts Council, too. And I really like the educational programs of other organizations, so the artists here have a lot of opportunities to grow.”
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