Welcome to Arts Sutton Art Centre!

Arts Sutton is a registered charity with approximately 300 members, including well-established professional artists, early career artists, art lovers and business people. Arts Sutton is a place for reflection and for meeting others. We are devoted to the creation and diffusion of contemporary visual arts, in all its richness and diversity. Arts Sutton is administered by a volunteer board of directors. Each member is elected at the annual general meeting for a 2 year term. You are welcome to browse through our site to discover our exhibition schedules, other scheduled events, works by exhibiting artists, and much more.

History

Arts Sutton was founded in 1980, out of the desire of a group of artists from the region to establish a space for the diffusion of visual and creative arts. In 1986, following a reexamination of its mission and orientation, Arts Sutton became recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Communications as a center for the diffusion of the arts and received its first government grant. Arts Sutton found a home in the gym of the former Sutton elementary school. The site was renovated in 1992, thanks to support from both the Ministry of Culture and Communications and the town of Sutton. Since 1994, the art centre is supported financially by its members, private donors, and sponsors, including the Town of Sutton.

Mission

• To operate and make the best use of a space where professional contemporary artists from the region or elsewhere in the country or the world can exhibit their works
• To organize activities with a view to sensitize and educate the public about contemporary visual arts
• To encourage and acknowledge young creative artists

Orientations

• To promote and diffuse contemporary art work
• To promote and diffuse works of art by artists in the Eastern Townships
• To create collaboration and partnerships with the town, the region and other organizations dedicated to the arts
• To sensitize the population to the visual arts and to nurture interest in and knowledge of the visual arts
• To sensitize and educate youth in the school setting to the visual arts
• To create awareness of Arts Sutton in burgeoning artists by creating links with art education programs
• To promote and diffuse works by young contemporary artists

Artistic direction

Prioritize a particular axis for exhibitions that focus on space/territory/society through artistic proposals that:

• express the relationship with space, land and society;
• inspire and/or influence our point of view;
• raise awareness or bring forth critical thinking about space, the occupancy of land and the consequences it has on society.

The theme must be understood in its broadest artistic sense such as natural, urban, imaginary, transformed and interior landscapes, extending to “in situ” interventions. The theme as a source of inspiration, subject of reflection or raising major issues regarding the impacts of human activity.

Management

Under the direction of the Board of Directors, Arts Sutton art centre is managed by a coordinator, an artistic director and an administrative assistant.