News Archives: Pride in Arts at GPRC
Monday, July 12th, 2021
Praying Boy: Artwork by GPRC instructor Edward Bader that will be showcased at the 2021 Pride In Arts Community Show.
At the upcoming Pride in Arts Community Show in Vancouver, British Columbia, a familiar Grande Prairie name will appear on the featured artist list.
Edward (Ed) Bader, a tenured instructor in the institution’s fine arts department will be showcasing six of his artworks at the community show running from July 24 to August 13, 2021.
Bader has been inspiring his students to slow down and look at the world differently for over 22-years. As an artist educator, Bader is all about teaching his students concepts, sharing ideas, and guiding them to grow and evolve as artists.
“My passion lays in art, history and culture and how they intersect in a space or a place,” said Bader. “It’s about understanding and learning how to truly see. How to look at the world differently, not just through your camera lens and acknowledge the simple beauty of the world, like the light on the lake. I tell my students all the time that a pencil is the most important tool in their arsenal.”
Drawing is Bader’s primary medium and he teaches the institution’s art history and drawing courses.
“I grew up on a farm in Lethbridge on comic books,” laughed Bader, when asked how he got into drawing. The Fines Arts instructor holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Lethbridge and a Masters of Fine Arts, (Drawing/Painting), from the University of Calgary and Interdisciplinary MA in Poplar Culture with Distinction from Brock University.
For the past 30 years Bader has exhibited drawings, paintings and new media projects in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Berlin, Seattle, Montreal, Vancouver and throughout Alberta.
“I am always looking for opportunity and exhibitions,” said Bader. “It’s nice as an artist to travel, make connections, experience the work and have a sense of what it is all about to bring back into the classroom. It builds the reputation of the institution, and allows students to see that their instructors are busy doing research and making work.”
Bader has artworks represented in the Alberta Foundation for the Arts Collection, the Canada Council Art Bank, the University of Lethbridge, The City of Calgary, the Grant Berg Gallery, plus numerous private collections.
The Pride in Arts Community Show in Vancouver, British Columbia will take place in-person and virtually from Saturday, July 24 to Friday, August 13, 2021.
Learn more about GPRC’s two-year fine arts diploma program.
