The Battlefords Boys and Girls Club is excited that its new building has a beautiful new piece of artwork to enhance its impact.
Executive Director Sheri Woolridge says, "Dean Bauche was asked to complete a mural for the Boys and Girls Club in the fall of 2013. The concept of the mural was then placed as an auction item, to help with the cost of the new building, at the Boys and Girls Club annual dinner and gala in November 2013. Jean and Harvey Walker are the proud donors of the mural wall as they placed the winning bid at the auction."
The name of the piece is Possibility, says Woolridge, as it portrays the universe, change, development and connection.
"Dean had much inspiration for this painting as he pulled from many experiences and knows the Boys and Girls Club very well." says Woolridge. "At one point in time Dean was a program co-ordinator at the club and his wife Barb has served as a member on the board of directors."
Woolridge says the Battlefords Boys and Girls Club is thankful to Dean and Barb Bauche, as well as Jean and Harvey Walker for their generous gift to the club, its children and the community.
The art piece will be hung on the second floor of the building and is made up of four large-scale pieces.
Bauche, a well-known Battlefords artist, used his own original photography and artwork to digitally design the composition against a background of a Hubble telescope space vista. Each of the resulting four panels, says the artist, is a print of one section of that design on which he has done overpainting and applied an encaustic layer. Its finish is touchable and resistant to damage.
The Battlefords Boys and Girls Club, established in 1976, is a non-profit agency created to provide for the recreational, cultural, educational and social needs of children from six to 14 years of age. It provides opportunities where children can socialize with one another in a safe and nurturing environment.
Eventually, it outgrew its building, a former school building that had served as the City of North Battleford's Art Centre for many years.
It was replaced in 2013 by a new two-storey building built on the same grounds where the old clubhouse was located, the corner of 104th Street and 13th Avenue in North Battleford.
The new building provides spacious facilities for the clients, including a computer room, games area, administrative offices and kitchen facilities.
