Art Club History

The Red Deer Art Club was founded in 1948 under the sponsorship of the University of Alberta, Department of Extension.

Miss Janet Cooke was instrumental in starting the club and Professor G. Glyde and J.B. Taylor came from Edmonton to instruct the original thirty-three members. By 1952 Ellen Blore was a local instructor. She was joined by Professor Harry Wohlforth in 1954 on a monthly basis. At the time the club split, having an evening and an afternoon group taught by Mr. Stevenson from the Extension Department.

In 1965 the club joined the Allied Arts Council (now Red Deer Arts Council), and maintains membership to this day. The club also is a member of the Alberta Community Art Clubs Associations, which we joined in 1968.

The club has held classes in a variety of places from the Composite High School, the Memorial Center, North Cottage School, Dawe Center, Recreation Center, Red Deer Museum, Knights of Columbus hall, Art Gallery and even members’ homes. The Red Art Club hosts workshops that are open to the public and have given workshops in nursing homes and many other city services. Members volunteer their time and talents with many other organizations.

Over the years the club has held exhibits and sales at the Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery, Kerry Wood Nature Center, Recreation Center, Red Deer Library, Golden Circle, Cronquist House, Westerner Park, Artwalk Festival, Alexander Way Festival, Lacombe Art Show, Folk Festival, CKRD radio station, Calgary Historical Center and other venues.

Members have held individual shows at the Hospital and have participated in juried shows both near and far.
Each individual artist brings something special to the group and represents an artistic diversity.

The members of the Red Deer Art Club work in all two dimensional mediums and welcome members of all ages 18 years and older. We currently meet weekly on Thursday afternoons at the Golden Circle for a fee of one dollar. The yearly membership fee is $25.00 due in September.