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Our Mission Statement

The Lettering Arts Guild of Red Deer is a non-profit society that promotes and encourages the calligraphic arts through workshops, exhibits and socials. 

History of Our Guild

The Lettering Arts Guild of Red Deer came to fruition following a weekend workshop at Red Deer College, instructed by Shannon Read.  Participants learned 3 or 4 different alphabets over the weekend and were clearly motivated as it was suggested at the workshop that a Guild should be formed in Red Deer.  The Lettering Arts Guild of Red Deer became a non-profit society in the fall of 1985 with twenty members, three of whom have maintained their membership and achieved “charter” status: Judie Bell, Linda Fulton and Lauri Kumm.  George Huitema was also one of the founding members with steady membership since 1999. Shannon Read was the inaugural President with Debi Will (Baldwin) filling the Vice-President position and Judie Bell as Secretary.

Our membership has grown over the years, peaking at around 130 members, but has remained steady around 100 the last few years; approximately 35 active members regularly attend meetings and workshops.  In addition to the classes and workshops that are organized, social gatherings have proven to be very popular events hosted by the Guild as well.  Many close friendships have been forged through the events and classes organized through the Guild.  The Guild has also hosted three successful conferences in each of 1990, 2000 and 2010.

It’s interesting to see that EVERY article in the early newsletters was hand-lettered – and what beautiful work was submitted for such a young group of calligraphers!  Presumably, it was this effort and practice that developed the talented calligraphers those early members have become.  More than 25 years later, our lives have become so busy that many of us decline the opportunity to even write up a class article, let alone offer to calligraph it for the Editor – perhaps we should take up that challenge!

Our hats are off to the founding members who took the initiative to form the Guild and to all of those members who have joined over the years and continue to carry on the original intent and purpose of the Guild – to promote and encourage the calligraphic arts through workshops, exhibits and socials.

Our beautiful banner. A collaberative effort with contributions from: Christine Ahmad, Jacquie Myers, Earl Peavoy, Heather Hodgson, Heather Lee, Katharyn Blades, Marg Larratt, and  Roxanne Fairbrother.

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