“Hey it’s Sonya, Outreach Coordinator for ArtBridges. I was on vacation in St. John’s, NL and decided to visit the Anna Templeton Centre for Craft Art & Design. A historic bank building that now houses an assortment of craft & art classes for the community of St. John’s. I found this out first hand when I visited the Anna Templeton Centre on September 6thas part of Doors Open Days in the city. In addition to the Open House there was a student exhibition of embroidery and members of the St. John’s Guild of Embroiderers hosted a “Stitch In” and demonstrations.

It is important to keep this fine heritage building vibrant,” Beverly Barbour, Executive Director of the Centre, said before the tour. “In 2006, we repaired and renovated the building and brought it up to code which included making it more accessible with the addition of an elevator. Education and training are essential for keeping traditional craft and art practices alive and well. Our evening classes and weekend workshops present skills in contemporary and exciting ways. The craft industry is strong in Newfoundland & Labrador and we like to feel that we play a big role in keeping it that way.”

Here is more information from their ArtBridges’ profile:

“A small number of scholarships are available for their adult classes (please contact the Anna Templeton Centre for more information). They also do work with the REAL program to place children in the young artist program with the help of the REAL Program (organized by the City of St. John’s Recreation Department).”

Find out more about the Centre by reading their profile: http://artbridges.ca/community/profile/22

-photos and text by Sonya Young, ArtBridges Outreach Coordinator