Squamish is furthering its artistic stamp on the Lower Mainland with the opening of Me And You Arts Academy & Gallery, featuring live art, workshops and events.
Located at Squamish Town Hub – formerly known as On The Farm – Me And You Arts is a sweet 600-square-foot space that houses a diverse display of art, as well as a functional workspace for multiple artists to create, demo and offer classes.
Owner and visionary Andrea Andres, who does modern calligraphy with photography and acrylics, has embarked on this venture with three feature artists in her stable: Sarah Saunders, stained glass artist; Art Harry See-Appl-tun, Sko-mish native art carver; and Ellie (Lélé) McLeod, a stop motion director and contemporary puppet maker. Monthly guest artists, such as September’s ceramicist Emily Tolmie, round out the bill.
Andres says seeing Me And You Arts – often shortened to MAYA – finally open is a dream come true in that it will open the lines of communication between Squamish artists and its residents in a new and engaging way.
“So much has gone into this and I really think it’s something that could shift the way we experience art in this community. It’s been a big deal to get all of this going and we’re really excited to finally be open,” said Andres, an Iowa-native who moved north of the 49th parallel to Squamish with her family in 2014.
“I’ve been trying to figure out my whole life how art can meet the real world and be beneficial to others and enrich our lives, but it wasn’t until recently I realized that in addition to being an artist, I’m a networker of people – the more I connect with people in this community and draw them together in a collaborative atmosphere – the more alive I become,” she said, grinning widely.
“Only since coming to Squamish has the dream really came together as far as desiring a gallery. The artists here are not really visible. There’s so many quality artists here, so my dream was to make them more visible and valued in Squamish,” she said, insisting that the location of MAYA is key to its success. “People love to come here; they interact here. It’s the right place to be.”
Andres said that many artists work in a fairly isolated fashion and that they can benefit from more interaction with the community, both personally and professionally. The public who visit Squamish Town Hub, on the other hand, will have the opportunity to learn about different mediums such as puppet making, stained glass, wood carving and stop-motion animation.
“I think a lot of artists are isolated; it’s a natural tendency to hide away and create. Since I came to Squamish, I’ve been working with VISUALS and the Squamish Art Council and I’ve been waiting to find that central hub, something to draw us all together – a central place people can go to like Squamish Academy of Music,” she explained, joking how SAM and MAYA need to get together sometime.
“Maybe they could go steady?” she speculated.
Andres said she feels that this is just the beginning. She envisions a much larger collective of community spaces featuring artists of different mediums working collaboratively to showcase their work and studios simultaneously in efforts to inspire and connect artists and the public.
The academy, which begins offering classes this week, gives people the opportunity to “learn from professional working artists in a small class setting,” according to the website. More information and registration for classes can be found at www.meandyouarts.com.
