Library speaks to June programming

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Strathmore Municipal Library is hosting a collection of art pieces created by Strathmore High School students throughout the months of June and July. 

“There are about six different artists who we are featuring. Anybody was given the opportunity to display, and it just depended on who wanted to have their work up in the gallery,” said Laura Henderson, public services manager with the library. “We have 15 pieces from the students … there is some really neat work, they are all very different, there is a lot of mixed media that is very different from other artists that we feature, and the talent is just incredible. I am just blown away at these high school students.”

For this gallery, there was no set or preestablished theme or criteria, instead consisting of pieces that the students were proud of or felt like they simply wished to have on display. 

This marks the second year the library has hosted a student showcase, as Henderson had approached the school in 2023 to assemble the gallery during a similar time of the year. 

“I just thought it was a really fun way to highlight artists who maybe do not have a full exhibit but want to highlight some of their work,” she said. “When we removed the gallery last year, I asked them (the school) if this was something they would want to do every year and they said as long as it was near the end of the year when they have had a chance to work on their art through the year.”

The library is shifting gears in regards to their regular art galleries, opting to give artists the option to have a one or two-month display instead of switching on a month-by-month basis. 

Henderson explained this is because of the time-consuming process required to set up the gallery, which then also lends more time to showcased artists to have their work on display, be recognized, and to potentially sell some of their pieces. 

Some of the showcased students have also listed their work as for sale through the library, which is indicated next to the respective pieces.

The library is also hosting an Indigenous Histories presentation June 12 as part of their regular adult programming before programs slow down for the summer. 

Town of Strathmore Indigenous Liaison Astokomii Smith, and Tiffany Carlson will be speaking on behalf of Family and Community Support Services (FCSS), highlighting Blackfoot and Metis heritage. 

The program will be free to attend as part of the library’s adult programming and will effectively be a seminar type experience in the program room.