Nanaimo Chapter meetings are held on the
2nd Saturday of every 2nd month
(*3rd Sat in November)

Time: 9:30 a.m.
Location: Nanaimo Art Gallery, Downtown
150 Commercial Street
Nanaimo, BC

9:30 a.m.
Doors of the NAG will open for jurying and coffee. 

10:00 a.m.
Our day begins with an artist demo. 

11:30 a.m.
We have a short break and then eat our own bag lunches through a one hour business meeting.  We highlight new members, members in the news and show direction.  All reports will be posted on the website prior to the meeting, and it will be your responsibility to read them….the business meeting will be your chance to ask any questions and to bring up any other ideas that you may have, but the reports will not be repeated at the meeting.


Everyone is welcome to attend.

Information for Prospective Members

In order to join a Chapter like our Nanaimo Chapter FCA, you must first join the Vancouver FCA which is our ‘main body’ and a separate membership.  You must deal with the Vancouver office directly.   You can be a member with the Vancouver FCA and not a member with any affiliated Chapter, but not the other way around.

Complete information regarding the Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA) may be found on their website www.artists.ca

**Note: the 2009 fees for members, who live in Canada, are as usual. There is no additional postage fee charged on your current membership bill.

Accessing the FCA website above, you can view:  detailed information regarding the different types of FCA memberships and costs to join; information regarding individual FCA artists; ongoing workshops and classes; the latest juried art shows at FCA Vancouver’s Federation Gallery located on Granville Island, and much more.  Vancouver FCA membership includes a bi-monthly publication of “Art Avenue” magazine which features the various FCA Chapter’s information, articles, images from current shows at the Federation Gallery and more.

The fastest way to join the Vancouver FCA would be over the telephone if you like, using a credit card.  Once your Vancouver membership is complete you can then contact our Membership Chairperson and join the Nanaimo Chapter as a Supporting Member for
$15.00 per year.

We meet every 2nd Saturday of every 2nd month, with the exception of our November meeting, which is held on the 3rd Saturday of that month;  Jan., March, May, (no summer meeting), Sept. and Nov. (3rd Sat., Nov. only)

We meet at the Downtown Nanaimo Art Gallery, 150 Commercial St.

We keep our members well informed by email, telephone and newsletter and right here, on our website. 

In addition to our guest artist demonstrations at our regular Chapter meetings, our chapter offers at least two 2-day workshops per year for our members, bringing in excellent guest artists working in various mediums.

Once you are a Supporting Member of our chapter and if you decide you would like to enter our juried shows (and any of the juried shows in Vancouver), you can then make arrangements to become an Active Member.

Nanaimo FCA Chapter Membership Application

Nanaimo FCA Active Status info sheet

****Attention Active Members applying for AFCA or SFCA status:

You must have had eight different works accepted in eight different juried shows in the past four years. All Federation Gallery juried shows qualify as do other FCA shows juried by two SFCA's and one AFCA. Additionally, acceptance into other major juried shows, i.e. AWS, Painting on the Edge, CSPWC, NWS, NWWS and the B.C. Images & Objects show may also count. If you are unsuccessful applying for SFCA Status, you will not by default attain AFCA Status.

New as of 2007: Chapter members please note only two qualifying shows held in your Chapter may be used per year up to a maximum of six per application. There must be at least two shows which occured at Federation Gallery in your list.

Your $ 15.00 Nanaimo Chapter Membership cheque made out to FCA Nanaimo Chapter, may be paid at one of our chapter meetings or mailed to the Membership Chair.

Regards,
Lavern Hillier
Nanaimo FCA Membership Chairperson

*Please note
After lengthy discussion regarding tardy payment of Chapter fees it was decided that if by Jan. 30th each year, we have not received a member’s dues, they will be sent a final notice.  One month from that time, outstanding dues will cause the membership to lapse. 

Part One

Twenty years ago, in March of 1989, a group of mid-island artists met to discuss the formation of a new Chapter of the Federation of Canadian Artists. The national organization was formed following an Arts Conference held in Kingston Ontario, in 1941, where "many Canadian Artists expressed a need for a country-wide organization that would serve the needs of artists, critics and those interested in art. " (FCA 60th Anniversary Publication) The first national president was Andre Bieler, and he was followed by Lauren Harris. In 1978, the FCA moved its base of operations from Victoria to Vancouver where its offices and gallery are currently located on Granville Island. By 2001, the Federation of Canadian Artists was a nationally incorporated organization, 2000 strong, with representation in every Canadian province and with additional members abroad. At that time, there were eleven chapters in BC and Alberta, including the mid-island Chapter.

That first mid-island group included some very familiar names including Dorothy Sevcov, to whom we are indebted for much of the material that has formed the basis of these articles.

The mid-island group received a supportive reply from FCA headquarters and the next letter, the first draft of which is also reproduced here, was sent in August of 1989.

(click on image to enlarge)

The first meeting of the mid-island chapter was held in the Fitzwilliam Street library on September 9, 1989, and the Election of Officers took place a month later on October 7th. The October meeting was attended by Elizabeth Smiley, SFCA, then President of the FCA and Bunty Hays, then Manager of the Federation Gallery in Vancouver.

(click on image to enlarge)

The Mid-Island Chapter's first Juried show was held in November of that same year at Art 10 Gallery in Country Club Mall. At that time, many of the original members were juried to active staus by Elizabeth Smiley and another Signature Member from Victoria. The names of the founding members are familiar ones, and although some of them are no longer with the FCA, all fo them deserve our thanks. . . .

Bob Alexander, Mary Arai, Mickey Avis, Edna Bennett, Inger Bloodsworth, Dennis Brown, Marg Bonneau, John Buckingham, Doreen Doerr, John Girard, Shirley Gray, Tony Guppy, Pat Hart. Janette Hart, Cim Mac Donald, Isabel Munson, Anita Pichette, June Raabe, Wendy Robson, Ben Strating, Dorothy Sevcov, Mary Tougas, and Caroline Morrison.

If we have missed the names of any Members who were in that original group, please let us know, and we will be sure to honour them in the next article, The Early Years of the mid-island chapter, which became the Nanaimo Chapter of the Federation of Canadian Artists.

by Helen Webster

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Part Two

There is not a single NFCA member who does not know of the tireless work and long time service of Nanaimo chapter of the Federation of Canadian Artists past president, Marg Bonneau.  In celebrating the 20th anniversary of our chapter, I asked Marg, (our chapter’s seventh president) for anecdotes, stories and little tid-bits of information that might help paint the picture of the unique "culture" of our chapter.  

Marg related her initial soiree into the blue collar world that was Nanaimo in the early 80’s. Malaspina Community College had been constructed and the City of Nanaimo had amalgamated with Wellington: tremendous growth in a short period of time.   There were several art groups in 1989 (the Nanaimo Art Group, Art 10, the Nanaimo Arts Council); all volunteer groups, with a few hard-working members doing the “lion’s share” of the work. 

However, in the opinion of many, Nanaimo was ready for more.  In late 80’s Art 10 brought in Tony Onley, Herbert  Siebner, Jack Shadbolt, and Brent Heighton, each to do a one man show in the Art 10  Gallery at what was then Harbour Park Mall.  Because of the extensive groundwork by a dedicated few, art was becoming valued in our town!

With the inception in of the Nanaimo Federation Chapter in 1989, the community of professional artists continued to grow.  What had been a “diamond in the rough” was emerging as a healthy and vibrant artistic community.  Of course initiatives came and went.  Galleries sprung up and then disappeared just as quickly.  But over the course of the 90s, more and more artists, professional and not, moved to our town, seeking the camaraderie of like minds.  Some of the founding chapter members not otherwise mentioned, included: Bob Alexander, Mickey Avis, Edna Bennett, Inger Bloodsworth, John Buckingham, Shirley Gray, Tony Guppy, Pat Hart, Janette Hart, Cim Mc Donald, Isabel Munson, June Raabe, Ben Strating, Dorothy Sevcov, Mary Tougas and Carolyn Morrison.

The first few years the Nanaimo Federation chapter was successful, averaging approximately sixty members a year.  At that time however, art groups had to apply for space and would be given show opportunities at the discretion of the local Arts Council.  This made it difficult to have the same schedule each year; a piece that routinely assists art patrons when planning their attendance.  Despite this, the NFCA showed twice yearly and brought many fine artists to the town for demos and workshops.  Members have included such well known artists as: Denise and John MacNeil, Fred Peters, Carmen Mongeau, Pat Holland (SFCA), Micki Acierno (SFCA), Dianne Bersea (AFCA), Mark Hobson (SFCA), Gail Johnson (AFCA), Therese Johnson (AFCA), Amie Roman (AFCA), Regina Seib (AFCA), Perrin Sparks (SFCA), Mary Stewart (AFCA) and Vicki Turner (AFCA).

In 1995 a Parksville (Arrowsmith) chapter of the FCA was formed and Nanaimo lost many of its members.  A plan had to be devised to rescue the fledgling Nanaimo chapter. “To say that it was on its deathbed is not an understatement”, said Marg Bonneau.  Some members thought that Vancouver didn’t like chapters.  Other chapter members felt that because they did not live right in Nanaimo, they were being treated differently.  All of this was understandable growing pains and the fodder for those who felt the chapter needed new blood and more support from the Federation headquarters in Vancouver.  Bob McMurray, the then FCA president in Vancouver, stood behind the Nanaimo chapter and paid for chapter representatives to travel to the AGM in Vancouver so important connections could be made.  A 1996 plein air “painting on the water- front” event became one of the many new initiatives of the chapter.

In order for members to participate in the NFCA semi annual shows, the work has to have been accepted by a jury of peers.  President Vic Wilson, spearheaded the annual Dorchester non-juried shows and sales (2002 – 2005) which encouraged the work of all members. George Lewshuk of Gallery 223, a long time supporter of the NFCA, hosted several informal shows for the group as well.

Over the next decade work of the chapter members was highlighted in two semi-annual, professional juried shows: one traditionally in the spring and the other in the fall at the Nanaimo Art Gallery locations at the Vancouver Island University and on Commercial Street in downtown Nanaimo.  Arguably the most notable of these was held in the summer of 2005.  “Island Perspectives”, an all island chapters show, the brain-child of then president, Harold Allanson (AFCA) and member Sherry Mitchell (SFCA), was sponsored by Terasen Gas and featured $5000. in prizes.  Renown wildlife artist and FCA member, Robert Bateman, attended the show, sharing his work with members and stressing the importance of environmental awareness. 

In this twentieth year the Nanaimo chapter has taken yet another new direction:  Legacy 20.  To commemorate this special anniversary the 100 plus members have decided to give back to their community in another concrete and tangible way.  On September 24th at the opening of the NFCA Fall 2009 juried show, the Nanaimo District Hospital Foundation will be the presented with a piece of juried art, selected by the members to be donated for the year 2009.  This represents the beginning of an annual donation, highlighted in 2013 with the 25 anniversary celebration of the chapter.  The donated pieces will become the property of the NDHF, as they fundraise for and furnish the new renal ward and emergency hospital in Nanaimo.
         
Many thanks need to be extended to the hundreds of chapter members over the years for their dedication to fine art in Nanaimo.  Chapter presidents have been: Anita Pichette (1989 – 90), Dennis Brown (1990 – 91), Wendy Robson, John Girard (AFCA) 1994 – 95), Gerda Hoffman (1995 – 97), JoAnne Hillier (1997 – 99), Marg Bonneau (1999 – 2002), Doreen Doerr (2002 – 2003), Harold Allanson (2003), Vic Wilson (2003 – 2005), Judy Brayden, (2005 – 2009) and current acting president, Rich Williams (2009).

by Judy Brayden